Caffeine affects
children in a far more complex way than previously though, researchers have
found.
They say that after
puberty, boys and girls experience different heart rate and blood pressure
changes after consuming caffeine.
Girls also experience
differences in their response to caffeine during their menstrual cycles, the
team found.
They say the finding
could have a major effect on how much caffeine young people should be allowed
to take.
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'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,' said Jennifer Temple at
the University at Buffalo.
'In this study, we
were looking exclusively into the physical results of caffeine ingestion,' she
said.
The findings also
suggest that menstrual cycles can change the way caffeine affects girls.
'We found differences
in responses to caffeine across the menstrual cycle in post-pubertal girls,
with decreases in heart rate that were greater in the mid-luteal phase and blood
pressure increases that were greater in the mid-follicular phase of the
menstrual cycle.'
In the study,
researchers examined 96 children, looking at their heart rates and blood
pressure before and after giving them a caffeinated beverage or a placebo
during six visits to the laboratory.
The children, who
ranged in age from 8 to 17, also completed a questionnaire about their caffeine
use.
Past studies have
shown that caffeine increases blood pressure and decreases heart rate in
children, teens and adults, including pre-adolescent boys and girls.
However the new study
of the first to spot the gender differences - and menstruation cycle effects.
Caffeine consumption
by children and teenagers has increased in recent years, Temple said. This is
possibly due to a greater availability of caffeinated beverages and energy
drinks, she believes.
'While the data suggests that boys and girls respond differently to caffeine, both genders experienced cardiovascular effects of caffeine, she told Livescience.
'While the data suggests that boys and girls respond differently to caffeine, both genders experienced cardiovascular effects of caffeine, she told Livescience.
'And while it does
not suggest that caffeine is particularly harmful to children and adolescents,
there is little evidence that caffeine consumption is beneficial to health in
this population.'
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