{
  "id": 14741212,
  "title": "Children's caffeine habits linked to shorter sleep and brain differences",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/childrens-caffeine-habits-linked-to-shorter-sleep-and-brain",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-15T16:40:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Medical Xpress",
    "slug": "medical-xpress",
    "url": "https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-children-caffeine-habits-linked-shorter.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A study led by researchers at King's College London has found that children who consume more caffeine, particularly from soft drinks, tend to sleep less and have subtle differences in their brain development. The research, published in Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, analyzed data from 9,632 children aged 9 to 11 participating in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. Parents reported the children's average sleep duration, while the children self-reported their weekly caffeine intake, which mainly came from soft drinks. MRI scans measured the thickness and surface area of the cortex, a brain region crucial for cognitive processing, decision-making, attention, and emotions. The study revealed that higher caffeine consumption was linked to reduced cortical surface area across 22 brain regions. This effect was primarily driven by soft drink consumption, even at low levels, such as one caffeinated drink per week. Shorter sleep duration appeared to be an important underlying factor connecting caffeine intake to brain structure and later mental health problems, including attention, mood, and behavior issues. The researchers cautioned that the relationship between caffeine, sleep, and brain development is complex, and further studies are needed to clarify causality and isolate the effects of caffeine from other soft drink-related factors.",
  "summary": "Young people who consume more caffeine, mostly from soft drinks, sleep less and show small differences in how their brains are developing, according to a study led by researchers at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King's College London published in Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging.",
  "key_points": [
    "Children consuming more caffeine, especially from soft drinks, sleep less.",
    "MRI scans show reduced cortical surface area linked to caffeine intake.",
    "Shorter sleep duration connects caffeine intake to brain structure and mental health issues."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}