Caffeinated soda intake in children is associated with neurobehavioral risk factors for substance misuse
Published in Substance Use and Misuse, 2023
Kwon, M., Kim, H., Yang, J., Lee, Y., Hur, J.K., Lee, T.-H., Bjork, J.M. & Ahn, W.-Y. (2023) Caffeinated soda intake in children is associated with neurobehavioral risk factors for substance misuse. Substance Use and Misuse, https://doi.org/10.1080/10826084.2023.2259471
Abstract
Background and Objectives Use of psychotropic substances in childhood has been associated with both impulsivity and other manifestations of poor executive function as well as escalation over time to use of progressively stronger substances. However, how this relationship may start in earlier childhood has not been well explored. Here, we investigated the neurobehavioral correlates of daily caffeinated soda consumption in preadolescent children and examined whether caffeinated soda intake is associated with a higher risk of subsequent alcohol initiation.
Methods Using Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study data, we first investigated cross-sectional relationships between frequent caffeinated soda intake and well-known risk factors of substance misuse: impaired working memory, high impulsivity, and aberrant reward processing. We then examined whether caffeinated soda intake at baseline predicts more alcohol sipping at 12 months follow-up using a machine learning algorithm.
Results Daily consumption of caffeinated soda was cross-sectionally associated with neurobehavioral risk factors for substance misuse such as higher impulsivity scores and lower working memory performance. Furthermore, caffeinated soda intake predicted greater alcohol sipping after 12 months even after controlling for rates of baseline alcohol sipping; children who drink caffeinated soda daily are twice as likely to start sipping alcohol after one year compared to those who do not drink caffeinated soda at all.
Conclusions These findings suggest that previous linkages between caffeine and substance use in adolescence also extend to younger initiation, and may stem from core neurocognitive features thought conducive to substance initiation.