Every once in a while we take the time to point out ridiculous, unscientific studies that garner media attention. Today is one of those days.

Last night, the British journal Injury Prevention published a survey analysis that alleges teens who drink soda are more likely to carry a weapon or perpetrate violence.  Makes complete sense, right?  Not really. We know … you may have thought you were reading The Onion.

The reality is that there is no scientific evidence to support that young adults who consume soda are more likely to carry a weapon or engage in violent behavior.  The facts:

The authors of this survey analysis looked at less than 1,900 Boston public high school students; They failed to factor out other important considerations. They did not prove cause and effect. And their conclusions are not representative of the broader teen population.  In fact, the authors themselves note that the conclusions "may not be generalisable to other populations" and that they "do not know the reason for the association between soft drinks and the perpetration of violence."

This position was also shared in an ABCNews.com article where co-author Sara Solnick said “there’s no reason to think that drinking soda causes teens to be violent.”  So why do most of the headlines say the opposite?  In fact, the same ABCNews.com article includes commentary from Keith Ayoob, clinical professor of pediatrics and child development at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.  Ayoob said, “If they’re carrying a weapon and have been violent, that may be a marker of a less-stable lifestyle.” And Dr. Martin Binks, clinical director and chief executive officer of North Carolina-based Binks Behavioral Health added, “All of their findings could have been better explained in light of socioeconomic status … Knowing potential relationships between socioeconomic status and the things they’re measuring, not including that data is a major omission.”

So what’s the lesson here?  Read beyond the headlines …