Abstract

Comparison of the effect of caffeine containing energy drink and Glucon D on auditory and visual reaction time

Author(s):Viswanathan Shanti and Dube Manjree

There has been an increase in the consumption of energy drinks in the last decade which raises a concern regarding its safety. Glucose improves information processing and cognition. But research on only glucose containing drink is lacking. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of Red Bull,a caffeine containing energy drink and Glucon D on visual and auditory reaction time in medical students. A total of 30 students,15 boys and 15 girls, in the age group 18 to 22 yrs were recruited for the study after taking approval from the Institutional Ethical Committee. At the beginning, a baseline record of pulse, blood pressure, ART and VRT were taken for all students. The students were given Red Bull and readings were taken after 30 minutes. After an interval of five days the same procedure was repeated with Glucon D. All readings were taken between 10-12 a.m. On comparing the effect of Red Bull on either sex, there was no significant difference. On comparing the effect of the two energy drinks, the p value between the effect of Red Bull and Glucon D on ART was 0.457 and on VRT was 0.314.Both were not statistically significant. There was a significant increase in pulse rate with Red Bull (P=0.036). The mean DBP increased marginally with Red Bull which was not significant (P=0.496).

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