Researchers link sugary drinks to depression

(ABC) -- Drinking a lot of soda may cost you more than calories and cavities.

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health looked at the beverage consumption of hundreds of thousands of people between the ages of 50 to 70 over the course of a year.

Checking back in about 10 years later, they found that those who drank more than four cans or cups of soda per day were 30 percent more likely to have been diagnosed with depression than those who drank soda.

And those who drank four cans of fruit juice per day were about 30 percent more likely to have been diagnosed with depression than those who drank no sweetened drinks.

The risk of depression appeared to be greater for those who drank diet versions of the beverages.

By contrast, those who drank four cups of coffee a day were about 10 percent less likely to have been diagnosed with depression than those who drank no coffee.