Sales for sugar-sweetened and caffeinated beverages are still rising globally and their consumption has been linked to the development of cardiovascular diseases. However, direct evidence from human interventional studies in response to such beverages is still scarce.
Seven young, non-obese men participated in a randomized crossover study where four test drinks [60 g sucrose + 50 mg caffeine, 60 g sucrose + caffeine-placebo, 50 mg caffeine, and caffeine-placebo] were investigated. Each drink was brought to a total volume of 500 mL with water. Continuous and beat-to-beat hemodynamic monitoring was conducted for 30 min baseline and continued for 90 min after the ingestion of each drink. Measurements included blood pressure, heart rate, stroke volume, cardiac output, total peripheral resistance, index of contractility, and double product.
Two-factor ANOVA analysis revealed significant treatment-by-time effects for diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, stroke volume, cardiac output, total peripheral resistance, index of contractility, and double product (all
In young, non-obese men, a caffeinated and sucrose-sweetened beverage at concentrations similar to classical commercial Cola products exhibited distinct hemodynamic actions where the presence of sucrose dampened caffeine-induced blood pressure elevations, but at the expense of a tendency to increase cardiac work.