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Study confirms the adverse effects of caffeine on children

Published: 2026-08-24 Author: World Gafei

Last Updated: 2026/08/24, In the past, parents sometimes told their children: "Children should not drink coffee, it is not good for their health." But nowadays, more and more parents may take their children to some coffee chains to spend money.

A new study tells us that this is not a good idea and that coffee and cola have some bad effects on children. The study found that even low doses of caffeine-equivalent to the amount of caffeine in half a bottle of coke or a cup of coffee-can have an effect on children's blood pressure and heart rate.

Interestingly, the researchers also found that the heart and blood pressure stimulation of caffeine had a greater effect on adolescent boys than girls. The results of the study were published in Pediatrics on the 16th of this month.

Experts are so worried about the cardiovascular effects of caffeine on children that some advise parents not to let their children drink caffeinated drinks until they reach the age of 17 and 8.

Dr. Kevin Shannon, a professor of pediatric cardiology and director of childhood arrhythmias at Mattel Children's Hospital at the University of California, Los Angeles, believes that caffeine is one of many things that should be avoided when individuals are not fully grown and functionally mature.

The new study examined the effects of low doses of caffeine on 52 children aged 8 to 9 and 49 children between the ages of 15 and 17. In the younger group of children, gender differences did not lead to different results, but in older children, the stimulating effect of caffeine was more pronounced in boys than in girls.

Caffeine reduced heart rate and increased blood pressure in all children, according to lead author Jennifer Temple, an assistant professor of public health and health at the University of Buffalo. Although "lowering the heart rate" sounds contrary to the saying that "coffee brings excitement", it is not a new discovery.

Professor Temple explained that under the influence of low doses of caffeine, the heart slows down to compensate for the rise in blood pressure, while when affected by high doses of caffeine, the heart beats faster.

This study shows that even low doses of caffeine, which are thought to be safe for 8-year-olds, actually have an effect on their cardiovascular system. It's just that researchers don't have enough data to understand the long-term effects of children's exposure to caffeine.

This result, coupled with the fact that caffeine has no real health benefits in terms of cardiovascular and blood pressure stimulation, means it is best for parents not to let their children take caffeine. Professor Temple also said that for some children who are already active and do not sleep normally, they do not need caffeine.

It's just that this recommendation is not so easy to implement. Jessica Lieb, a registered dietitian at the Children's Hospital of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, told us that drinking coffee seems to have become popular in today's society. A recent report found that 17-to 18-year-olds almost doubled their caffeine intake from coffee compared with 10 years ago. Children's intake of caffeinated sodas declined, but the researchers worry that this is because minors are using coffee and energy drinks instead of colas.

Lieb said caffeine should not be found in children's diets, and individuals should not consume caffeine until they are at least 18 years old. For adults, caffeine intake should also be moderate and moderate.

It is understood that it is good to drink coffee in moderation.

But with the popularity of all kinds of coffee drinks, there are fewer drinks for children: milk and water. Lieb tells us that many drinks with caffeine lack the nutrients they should have for children and contain added sugar.

Dr. Steven Lipshultz, director of pediatrics at Wayne State University School of Medicine and chief pediatrician at Michigan Children's Hospital, told us that among caffeinated drinks, what worries experts most is energy drinks. He cautioned that people may not realize that high doses of caffeine can raise blood pressure to a very dangerous range and can cause life-threatening arrhythmias. This high dose of caffeine intake can also lead to some neurological symptoms, including epilepsy.

Dr Lipshultz and his colleagues found that 50 per cent of the reports submitted to the US national poisoning data system involved children under the age of six drinking energy drinks. It must be pointed out that 6-year-olds do not go to the store to buy these energy drinks, and parents who keep these drinks at home have an unshirkable responsibility.

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