Children do not usually think about blood pressure, obesity or heart disease. Parents rarely do either when handing over a soft drink after school or packing a juice box in the lunch bag. Yet the choices made in these early years often leave footprints that last decades.A major study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2023 has once again highlighted a concern scientists have been discussing for years: sugary drinks are not just empty calories. Regular consumption may quie