Children as young as four are targeted by the popularity of caffeinated sodas and energy drinks, and caffeine intake by children and adolescents has been rising for decades.
Despite this, there is little research on the effects of caffeine on young people. One researcher who is conducting such investigations is Jennifer Temple, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, University at Buffalo School of Public Health and Health Professions. Her new study finds that after puberty, boys and girls experience different heart rate and blood pressure changes after consuming caffeine. Girls also experience some differences in caffeine effect during their menstrual cycles.The study, "Cardiovascular Responses to Caffeine by Gender and Pubertal Stage," will be published online June 16 in the July 2014 edition of the journal Pediatrics.
Caffeine and Decaffeination
Caffeine is a psychoactive stimulant alkaloid commonly found in many of the products we consume daily. Excess intake of caffeine can lead to symptoms similar to substance addiction.
Downloadable photos of Temple are available at www.buffalo.edu. Past studies, including those by this research team, have shown that caffeine increases blood pressure and decreases heart rate in children, teens and adults, including pre-adolescent boys and girls. The purpose here was to learn whether gender differences in cardiovascular responses to caffeine emerge after puberty and if those responses differ across phases of the menstrual cycle.Temple says, "We found an interaction between gender and caffeine dose, with boys having a greater response to caffeine than girls, as well as interactions between pubertal phase, gender and caffeine dose, with gender differences present in post-pubertal, but not in pre-pubertal, participants.
Coffee, Caffeine and Your Health
Caffeine sensitivity decides if coffee is good or bad for you. However drinking coffee preferably without caffeine may be good for your health.
Future research in this area will determine the extent to which gender differences are mediated by physiological factors such as steroid hormone level or by differences in patterns of caffeine use, caffeine use by peers or more autonomy and control over beverage purchases, Temple says.This double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-response study was funded by a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health. It examined heart rate and blood pressure before and after administration of placebo and two doses of caffeine (1 and 2 mg/kg) in pre-pubertal (8- to 9-year-old; n = 52) and post-pubertal (15- to 17-year-old; n = 49) boys (n = 54) and girls (n = 47).
Source: Eurekalert
Some Bad Things That Could be Good for You
Discover some seemingly 'bad' things that may actually benefit your health in more ways than one.
 Good News for Caffeine Addicts from Diabetes ResearchLower risk for adult-onset diabetes was seen in people who boosted their coffee intake by moderate to large doses, than those with stable consumption, US-based study researchers said Friday. | Advertisement
|
