Navigation
Sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and anxiety disorders in adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Adolescence is a pivotal period for mental health, during which anxiety disorders are increasingly common. This systematic review investigates the potential influence of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) on mental health outcomes, specifically anxiety disorders, in adolescents. A comprehensive search was performed across multiple electronic databases, including Medline Complete, CINAHL Complete, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect, for studies published from 2000 to 2025. The review extracted data regarding SSB intake and anxiety outcomes, employing the Risk of Bias in Non-randomised Studies from the Cochrane Handbook to evaluate study quality. A meta-analysis utilizing a random-effects model estimated odds ratios (OR) to assess the relationship between SSB consumption and anxiety disorders, presenting a 95% confidence interval (CI).
Nine studies met the inclusion criteria, comprising seven cross-sectional and two longitudinal studies. Among these, seven studies reported a significant positive association between SSB consumption and anxiety, while two indicated no significant relationship. Notably, the longitudinal studies demonstrated small yet persistent associations over a one-year period. Studies utilizing multiple linear regression consistently illustrated a small positive correlation between SSB intake and anxiety symptoms. The meta-analysis revealed that higher SSB consumption correlates with increased odds of anxiety disorders (OR: 1.34, 95% CI: 1.14–1.59), albeit limited to studies defining anxiety disorder as a binary outcome.
Given the predominance of observational study designs, these results should be interpreted as associative rather than causal. The findings underscore the necessity for public health initiatives and clinical interventions aimed at reducing SSB intake to address the rising prevalence of anxiety disorders among adolescents. [NPID: Sugar-sweetened beverages, soft drinks, anxiety, adolescence]
Year: 2026
