Caffeine Can Increase Alertness in Young Women

September 15, 2008

For both coffee drinking women and those who do not imbibe, caffeine can both improve their mental alertness and have a calming effect on the heart rate, and just one cup a day will do it. This conclusion was cited by Michael Kennedy, professor in exercise physiology at the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation.

Kennedy was the lead author of the article published in last month’s edition of Nutrition Research. The article was based on research he and his team of scientists conducted at the University in Edmonton, Canada. The research team studied ten women who drank caffeine daily and ten who drank less than two servings a week. They were aged 18 to 37. Despite the small sample, the results were statistically and clinically significant, Kennedy added.

The criteria involved measuring the heart rate and blood pressure, testing for alertness and the ability to complete a tough mental test following the consumption of a 350ml of coffee (apprx. 12 ounces.) The caffeine was administered in a cup of coffee immediately following a regular breakfast. Both groups were tested with two complete word tasks. The result was that both those who drank coffee regularly and those who drank it occasionlly did well on the two tests for alertness.

Blood pressure, a signicant factor in the development of heart disease, is a factor in caffeine consumption for some, but not all women. Women in the two test groups had their heart rate and blood pressure monitored both before and after consumption for comparison. Baseline blood pressure taken before digesting the caffeine was higher in the habituated coffee drinkers. Kennedy said, “This indicates that there may be some long-term cardiovascular adjustment to digesting caffeine on a daily basis.”

Elevation of blood pressure, is not a given among caffeine-consuming women, and the number of “contrarians,” those people who react in a counter-indicated way to typical results, is pronounced. For people at risk for high blood pressure, modest consumption of caffeine is advised. For a temporary mental boost, however, an occasional cup of caffeinated coffee is directly beneficial.

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