The relationship between caffeine and blood pressure in preadolescent African American girls.
BACKGROUND
While high caffeine consumption has been shown to be associated with increased blood pressure in controlled experiments, the relationship between caffeine consumption and blood pressure in preadolescent (ages 6-11 years) and adolescent (ages 12-19 years) children has not been well studied. The primary objective of this study was to assess the cross-sectional relationship between caffeine intake and blood pressure in 8- to 10-year-old African American girls who eat an unrestricted diet.


METHODS
Demographic, 24-hour dietary recall, and blood pressure data collected at baseline from 303 African American girls aged 8-10 years in the Girls health Enrichment Multisite Studies (GEMS) cohort were analyzed by using linear and multiple regression models.


RESULTS
Dietary caffeine intake was not associated with either systolic or diastolic blood pressure (P=.33 and P=.36, respectively). However, consistent with the literature, height and body mass index were each positively and independently associated with systolic blood pressure (both P<.0001). Height and amount of sodium intake were positively associated with diastolic blood pressure (P=.01 and P=.02, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
Dietary caffeine intake in low amounts is not associated with elevated blood pressure in 8- to 10-year-old African American girls who eat an unrestricted diet.
Reddy
Jagadeshwar G
JG
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA. reddy.jagadeshwar@mayo.edu
Ebbert
Jon O
JO
Klesges
Lisa M
LM
Enders
Felicity T B
FT
Klesges
Robert C
RC
Lanctot
Jennifer Q
JQ
McClanahan
Barbara S
BS
D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002110:Caffeine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet / Q000208:ethnology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000208:ethnology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012982:Sodium, Dietary / Q000008:administration & dosage
D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D012982:Sodium, Dietary; D002110:Caffeine