The relationship between caffeine and blood pressure in preadolescent African American girls

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.

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.

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).

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.