from University of Southern California
New research raises concern about
drinking sugar-sweetened beverages
during teen years. The research, from the
University of Southern California,
presented to the Society for Study of
Ingestive Behavior found daily
consumption of beverages sweetened with
sugar or high-fructose corn syrup may
impair the ability to learn and remember
information during teen years. Adult
laboratory animals given sugar-sweetened
beverages for a month performed normally
in cognitive tests, but adolescent
laboratory animals had impaired learning
and memory capability. Researchers say
consumption of sugar-sweetened
beverages during adolescence caused
inflammation in the hippocampus, the part
of the brain that controls learning and
memory functions.