Results from a University of Vermont study released Oct. 24 suggest a connection between the amount of soda teenagers drink per week and the likelihood that they will commit a violent act. The study shows that those who drink more than five cans of non-diet soda per week are more likely to possess or handle a weapon or participate in acts of physical violence than those who drink less.

The conductors of the study, Dr. Sara Solnick and Dr. David Hemenway, have concluded as a result of their survey that there may be a direct association between the consumption of soft drinks and violence, conceivably caused by the sugar and caffeine quantity of the drinks.

 “All we can say and all we have said is that we found that students who drank more soda were more likely to be violent to other kids, siblings and romantic partners and to carry a knife or gun, even when we controlled for gender, age, race, alcohol and tobacco consumption, hours of sleep and whether they had dinner with their family,” Solnick said.  

About 1,900 Boston public high school students were surveyed; 50 percent were African-American, 33 percent were Hispanic, nine percent were Caucasian and eight percent were Asian. The students were asked the quantity of non-diet sodas they consume per week, whether they have ever carried a weapon, and if they have ever committed a physically aggressive act on a peer, family member or date.

“The survey was prepared very carefully to avoid influencing participants to answer in any particular way,” Solnick said.

According to an Oct. 25 USA Today article, almost 43 percent of the teenagers surveyed who consumed 14 or more cans of soda per week revealed they had possessed a weapon before, compared to 23 percent that consumed less than one can per week.

However, some are questioning the accuracy of the study due to the many factors that can contribute to teenage violence.

“I feel like it is not true,” sophomore Gabee Ignacio said. “I think the teens are more likely to carry a weapon depending on the area they live, rather than how much soda they drink.”

Sophomore Jake Monson is also doubting the study.
“I think it is just the kids,” Monson said. “It has to be something else, not soda. Maybe it is TV, something they are watching.”

The study is linked to the notorious “Twinkie Defense” of 1979. San Francisco mayor George Moscone and city supervisor Harvey Milk were assassinated by Dan White. However, instead of being charged with homicide, White was charged with voluntary manslaughter. White and his lawyers claimed that he was full of junk food and soda at the time he committed the crime, making him irrational and illogical.

Solnick and Hemenway’s study has received attention from major media sources such as USA Today, MSNBC and Forbes.

“We rather expected it,” Solnick said. “We were surprised by the results ourselves, and we thought people would be interested.”