Caffeine buzz stronger in men, but healthier for women

December 22, 11:57 AMCaffeine ExaminerBig Red Boots  

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A study headed by researchers from the University of Barcelona (UB) shows that caffeine has a greater effect on men than women, and that these effects start just 10 minutes after it is drunk.

“Numerous studies have demonstrated the stimulant effects of caffeine, but none of these have looked at their effects in terms of the consumer’s gender,” Ana Adan, lead author of the study and a researcher in the Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology Department of the UB, tells SINC.  “Although both the men and women saw an improvement in their activity levels with the coffee, which increased in later measurements, we observed a greater impact among the males.”

In order to measure the effects, the scientists used a sample of 668 university students (238 male and 450 female) with an average age of 22 years. Measurements were taken before and after the caffeine was ingested (10, 20 and 30 minutes) and were carried out at mid-day (11am to 1pm) and in the afternoon (4pm to 6pm), to act as a control in case of possible differences caused by the time.

There have been other studies that show some difference in how caffeine works in men and women.  A study in 2004 showed a significant difference in how caffeine affects  blood pressure in men and women. In women, caffeine tends to raise blood pressure by increasing the activity of the heart, causing it to pump blood faster and raising the cardiac output. In contrast, caffeine increases men's blood pressure by narrowing the blood vessels and increasing the resistance of blood vessels to the flow of blood.

Caffeine also has a big difference in helping improve memory for women who consume more than 3 cups of coffee a day. A study found that women age 65 and older who drank more than three cups of coffee (or the equivalent in tea) per day had less decline over time on tests of memory than women who drank one cup or less of coffee or tea per day.  "Caffeine is a psychostimulant which appears to reduce cognitive decline in women," said study author Karen Ritchie, PhD, of INSERM, the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research, in Montpellier, France.

Ritchie said researchers aren't sure why caffeine didn't show the same result in men. "Women may be more sensitive to the effects of caffeine," she said. "Their bodies may react differently to the stimulant, or they may metabolize caffeine differently."