Caffeine's Effect on Adolescent and Teenage Children Based On Gender Differences
Caffeine's Effect on Adolescent and Teenage Children Based On Gender Differences
Caffeine is one of the most widely used drugs in the world. Metropolitans especially, have a large number of coffee consumers. People would often wake up to a cup of coffee to kick start their morning.
A recent study confirms that teenage boys were comparatively more prone to caffeine than teenage girls. The study says that after hitting puberty, the gender differences also determine the kid’s reaction to caffeine. The study has yet only been conducted for caffeine and still has to go under further study for other drugs. In this study, the researchers worked over a sample of 96 children whose heart rates and blood pressures were recorded before and after they were given caffeine or a placebo. The kids were also made to fill questionnaires regarding their experience of caffeine use.
All the children from the sample showed an obvious decrease in the heart rate and an increased blood pressure after having caffeine. However, caffeine did have a higher response within boys as compared to girls. This is the first study to record the effect of caffeine on children aged as low as 8 years.
Another interesting finding suggested that caffeine affected the girls differently based on the phases of their menstrual cycle. The cause of which might be the heart’s response to caffeine due to either hormonal fluctuations or patterns of caffeine consumption among teens. However, much study is still required in this field to find out the reasons behind the
difference in responses and if that would be completely attributed to physical differences or if it also has something to do with the psychosocial.
Source: http://www.researchomatic.com/Chemical-Relationships-Of-Caffeine-And-Its-Effect-On-AHuman-Body-14595.html