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. (Ethn Dis. 2008; 18:283-288)