BUFFALO, N.Y., Jan. 19 (UPI) -- A U.S. neurobiologist says there is gender affect when it comes to teens and caffeine, with boys liking it more than girls do.
Jennifer Temple of the University at Buffalo says she became intrigued with caffeine consumption in children after conducting a small study in children ages 8-12.
"We had a lot of kids who were drinking not only soda, but coffee," Temple says in a statement. "I had 12-year-old girls who said that all they had that morning was a cup of coffee. I started thinking -- 'This can't be good.'"
Instead of finding a difference between those who habitually consumed a lot of soft drinks and those who consumed few, Temple found the major difference was between genders.
The boys in the study worked harder and longer on a computer-based exercise to obtain caffeinated drinks.
Temple speculates the sex differences could be based on the effect of circulating hormones at the time of the test -- although this was not measured -- and the possibility that females are less sensitive to the effects of caffeine.
The finding was published in Behavioural Pharmacology.
