Children who drink caffeinated beverages as little as once a week showed differences in brain structure, sleep and mental health, according to a new study. Children who consumed more caffeine slept less and were more likely to experience problems with attention and behavior.
A research team led by Dr. Dibyadeep Rakesh at King's College London analyzed how caffeine intake related to brain structure, sleep and mental health in 9,632 U.S. children aged 9 to 11.
The researchers examined lifestyle data collected over 18 months alongside a single baseline brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. They looked at differences in brain structure by level of caffeine intake, then compared sleep, mood, attention and behavioral problems six months later.
Children with the highest caffeine intake showed relatively smaller surface area in 22 regions of the brain.
Differences also appeared in sleep and mental health. Children who drank caffeinated beverages slept less six months later than those who did not. They were also more likely to experience problems related to mood, attention and behavior.
These differences were not limited to children who consumed caffeine frequently. "Differences began to appear starting at the level of one drink per week," the researchers said.
The team noted that the sleep deprivation accompanying caffeine intake may be linked to the differences in brain structure and mental health.
Children who drank caffeinated beverages tended to sleep for shorter periods, and this in turn may be connected to later mood and behavioral problems, the researchers said.
The study does not, however, prove that caffeine is directly harmful. It only confirmed a statistical association between caffeine intake, brain structure and mental health, and cannot establish caffeine as the cause of those changes.
"Even fairly low levels of intake were associated with small differences in brain structure and with later mental health," Rakesh said. "When looking at the mental health of children and adolescents, we need to pay attention to both caffeine intake, including soft drinks, and sleep."
The findings were published in the latest issue of the international journal Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging.
