Caffeine intake and cognitive functions in children

Abstract

Rationale-There is a growing concern over excessive caffeine use and development of caffeine use disorder in children.Objectives-This study aimed to identify the association between caffeine intake and cognitive functioning in children.Methods-This study included 11718 youths aged 9-10 years with cognitive and caffeine intake information that were extracted from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. The ABCD study is a longitudinal cohort study started in 2017 that aims to understand the relationships between substance use and neurocognition in youths living in the United States. Cognitive measures were obtained through the 7 core cognitive instruments from the NIH toolbox (vocabulary comprehension, reading decoding, inhibitory control, working memory, cognitive flexibility, processing speed, and episodic memory). Associations between caffeine intake and the seven cognitive functions were examined using multiple regression models.Results-Our study revealed that caffeine intake negatively correlated with all the seven cognitive measures. After adjustment for age, gender, sleep, and socio-economic status (SES), caffeine intake was still found to be negatively associated with most of the cognitive functions, such as vocabulary comprehension, working memory, cognitive flexibility, processing speed, and episodic memory, except reading decoding and inhibitory control.Conclusions-As beverages with caffeine are consumed frequently, controlling their intake may reduce a risk for nonoptimal cognitive development in children.

Comments on “Caffeine intake and cognitive functions in children by Zhang, Lee and Qiu”

“…The ABCD study is longitudinal but only cross-sectional research was reported by Zhang, Lee and Qiu (2020). Other cross-sectional research does initially support the results of Zhang, Lee and Qiu (2020) and extends them to other sources of caffeine, age groups and outcomes.…”

“…The ABCD study is longitudinal but only cross-sectional research was reported by Zhang, Lee and Qiu (2020). Other cross-sectional research does initially support the results of Zhang, Lee and Qiu (2020) and extends them to other sources of caffeine, age groups and outcomes. Smith and Richards (2018) examined associations between energy drink consumption and academic attainment of secondary school pupils.…”

“…A key feature of epidemiological research is to control for other factors that may be correlated with independent and dependent variables. This usually starts with demographic variables, and these were adjusted for in the analyses conducted by Zhang, Lee and Qiu (2020). Smith and Richards (2018) found that academic outcomes were influenced by a number of factors that were obtained from the School Information Management System (SIMS).…”

The Neurophysiology of Caffeine as a Central Nervous System Stimulant and the Resultant Effects on Cognitive Function

“…Although many studies have shown positive associations between caffeine consumption and memory, two most recent studies have shown data demonstrating a negative association. Zhang et al, performed a population-based study which analyzed data from an ongoing Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study to assess the effects of caffeine on cognitive function in children [ 20 ]. A total of 11,875 participants, aged 9-10, consisting of a similar proportion of males and females living in the United States were recruited [ 27 ].…”

“…According to the USDA National Nutrient Database, this average equates to approximately one-eighth of a can (12 fl oz) of AMP energy drink or two packs of M&M’s Milk Chocolate candy. In contrast to popular belief, Zhang et al suggested that caffeine consumption had a negative correlation with working memory, episodic memory, and processing speed (p < 0.01), suggesting that children who chronically consumed caffeine exhibited a worsening in overall cognitive performance [ 20 ]. This may indicate that habitual caffeine consumption could have detrimental effects on neurologic development in children, especially during critical neurological developmental periods.…”