Is drinking soft drinks a danger to children later in life? A new study says drinking soft drinks or “fizzy drinks” increases the chance of heart disease and high blood pressure among children later in their life.

Researchers, from Westmead Millennium Institute for Medical Research at the University of Sydney, found that 12-year-olds who drink “one or more fizzy drinks or cordial a day” had narrower arteries in the back of their eyes, which indicates the health of a person’s blood vessel system.

"Children with a high consumption of soft drinks and carbohydrates had a more adverse microvascular profile compared to those who did not drink so many soft drinks or eat so many carbs," said Dr Bamini Gopinath, the study's lead author and senior research fellow at Westmead Millennium Institute.

Retinal microvascular diameter is a “potential” marker for future cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure in adults. The study is the first to show that the effect of carbohydrates and fizzy drinks in childhood is linked to a narrowing of the vessels in the retina.

Around 2,000 children in 21 high schools in Sydney, age 12-years-old, participated in the study, which is an extension of a previous study on similar damage, which does not affect their vision, in children who watch too much television.

Source: University of Sydney