Boys get a greater rush and more energy from caffeine than girls.
Boys get a greater rush and more energy from caffeine than girls.
High coffee intake has been linked with physiological and behaviour changes in people. Despite its widespread use, few studies have studied the impact of drinking coffee in children and teenagers.
To study the effects of coffee in young people, researchers recruited 26 boys and 26 girls from America, aged between 12 and 17 years. To take part in the study, the teenagers were required to have had previous experience with caffeine but no adverse reactions, were not using hormone-based contraceptives, neither smoked nor took any medication that could have adverse interactions with caffeine (e.g., methylphenidate) and were willing to visit the laboratory four times for 90 minutes each. The participants were asked not to drink caffeine-containing drinks 24 hours before each visit. They were also asked not to eat or drink anything except water, for two hours before each visit.
Several differences in response to caffeine were found between girls and boys. Diastolic blood pressure (the lower reading of the two blood pressure readings, when the heart is resting) increased and heart rate decreased as percentage of caffeine increased in boys, but not in girls. In addition, boys who were regular "high consumers" of caffeine showed a higher rise in blood pressure than low-caffeine consuming boys.
High consumers of caffeine also consumed more calories, protein and fat in their typical diet, and ate more high-sugar snacks in the laboratory, compared with low-caffeine consumers. Moreover, boys felt that caffeine had a positive effect on their athletic performance, though girls didn't report on this issue.
This study suggests that boys and girls respond differently to caffeine.
High coffee intake has been linked with physiological and behaviour changes in people. Despite its widespread use, few studies have studied the impact of drinking coffee in children and teenagers.
To study the effects of coffee in young people, researchers recruited 26 boys and 26 girls from America, aged between 12 and 17 years. To take part in the study, the teenagers were required to have had previous experience with caffeine but no adverse reactions, were not using hormone-based contraceptives, neither smoked nor took any medication that could have adverse interactions with caffeine (e.g., methylphenidate) and were willing to visit the laboratory four times for 90 minutes each. The participants were asked not to drink caffeine-containing drinks 24 hours before each visit. They were also asked not to eat or drink anything except water, for two hours before each visit.
Several differences in response to caffeine were found between girls and boys. Diastolic blood pressure (the lower reading of the two blood pressure readings, when the heart is resting) increased and heart rate decreased as percentage of caffeine increased in boys, but not in girls. In addition, boys who were regular "high consumers" of caffeine showed a higher rise in blood pressure than low-caffeine consuming boys.
High consumers of caffeine also consumed more calories, protein and fat in their typical diet, and ate more high-sugar snacks in the laboratory, compared with low-caffeine consumers. Moreover, boys felt that caffeine had a positive effect on their athletic performance, though girls didn't report on this issue.
This study suggests that boys and girls respond differently to caffeine.
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