Sorry, ladies; it appears that gulping down all that caffeine during high school might not have been as effective as once thought.
Boys are more sensitive than girls to the effects of caffeine, according to results of a study conducted by Jennifer L. Temple, Ph.D., assistant professor of nutrition and exercise science at the University at Buffalo.
Temple's study, which focused on adolescents aged 12 to 17, explored the effects of acute caffeine on adolescents and is the first to show a gender gap in physiological response to the commonly used drug.
"Our primary evidence suggests that boys may be experiencing something different from the caffeine than girls," Temple said. "[Girls] don't get the same rush from the caffeine."
Temple's data suggests that girls are buffered from the effects of caffeine. Researchers believe that the gender-dependence is caused by physical differences as well as variations in patterns of consumption.
Several differences emerged when researchers were measuring cardiovascular response to measured amounts of caffeine. As the percentage of caffeine intake increased, boys experienced a cardiovascular response in which blood pressure increased and heart rate decreased.
Girls did not have the same response.
The significance of the split in the physical response was compounded by the study's findings regarding motivation for caffeine use, according to Temple.
"Boys tended to report that they used caffeine to get a rush or to get high or to enhance athletic performance," Temple said. "Girls didn't report using caffeine for those reasons."
Researchers were intrigued by these differences.
"Originally, we didn't predict any gender differences because gender differences in caffeine response haven't really been reported much," Temple said.
In a follow-up study, researchers explored the physical mechanism that is responsible for the differences in response. Research suggests that steroid-hormones such as estrodiol, a sex hormone present in females and males, could affect the metabolism of caffeine.
Females tend to be most responsive to caffeine when estrodiol levels are low. Therefore, female sensitivity to caffeine fluctuates depending on the phase of the menstrual cycle, Temple said.
Patterns of consumption may also contribute to how teens react to caffeine. While girls are likely to consume tea or coffee with low levels of caffeine, boys tend to purchase energy drinks and ingest maximum levels of caffeine in very short time periods, according to Temple.
According to Ryan Vargas, a shift manager at Spot Coffee on Elmwood Avenue, teens are consuming caffeinated beverages more often than in past years.
Drinks that have "tons of sugar and tons of caffeine" are often served to the younger demographic, as teens take advantage of increasing freedoms. Additionally, peers often influence teens' decisions to try caffeinated beverages, Vargas said.
"When you get older, you enjoy [caffeinated beverages] as much as you can," Vargas said. "You want all you can get your hands on."
Jenna Levine, a freshman undecided major, relies on caffeine for a morning boost and often spends time at coffeehouses with friends, a social dynamic of consumption that Vargas cites as extremely influential.
"I feel like I won't be able to function without [caffeine]," Levine said. "I don't even notice the crash because I'm so used to it."
The spike in caffeine use by teens and its availability is cause for concern, according to Temple.
"Kids are exposed to more caffeine – they may be consuming more caffeine – and we don't really have enough research to know what the potential effects could be," Temple said.
Although caffeine is not immediately dangerous when consumed in moderation, there are risks in using any drug. Levine mentioned an inability to focus while on a "caffeine high."
Further, caffeine use during adolescence, when the brain is still developing, could make kids more susceptible to drug use later on in life because it primes the brain to respond more strongly, according to Temple.
Although her studies focus on adolescents, Temple advises college students to reflect upon their caffeine usage.
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