Should Athletes Take Caffeine?

Caffeine.  It’s found in coffee, energy drinks like Red Bull, Monster, & Rockstar, and in your pre-workout supplements. We’ve all tried some sort of caffeine.  We’ve felt the effects as well.  But will caffeine help us as athletes and health conscious people?

Let’s start with how caffeine works.  Caffeine blocks adenosine (which usually causes your body to relax).  Because of this, the adrenal glands respond and release adrenaline.  This is that fight or flight hormone we’ve all learned about.  At this point, your body begins to feel the effects and you’ve become “energized” by the caffeine.  Additionally, dopamine is released in your brain, which makes you get that happy feeling.

So, how does caffeine affect your performance in sports?  According to The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, the premiere journal on athletics and strength and conditioning in the US, studies on sprint and power sports showed peak power output, speed, and isokinetic strength all IMPROVED with caffeine consumption.  Additionally, studies have shown that caffeine improved reaction time and mental alertness in athletes (1).

There’s promising results for endurance athletes, too.  In endurance exercise, caffeine increased work output and time to exhaustion. During short running and cycling events of less than five minutes, caffeine also enhanced performance (1).

Although there are many benefits to caffeine consumption, it does have its limits.  Caffeine has not been shown to increase maximal strength or power (2), as in doing a one-rep max.

Some argue against caffeine use in sports because of the possible dehydration effects.  Because caffeine is a known diuretic, it is supposed that caffeine will also dehydrate when used in or around competition or workouts.  However, recent studies with athletes lasting 10 plus days have shown that caffeine consumption does not change the body’s fluid levels in that period (3).

Although dehydration does not seem to be an issue with caffeine consumption, there are some factors to consider when you consume caffeine.  One factor is the sugar that accompanies many of the drinks caffeine is found in.  There are unhealthy amounts of sugar in certain coffee drinks and especially in energy drinks and soft drinks.  Be smart and read the label of everything you put in your body.  Another factor that is important to remember is personal sensitivity to caffeine.  Our bodies and sports differ in their needs in many ways, including its caffeine needs and how your body reacts to caffeine.

One last thing to consider is when to take your caffeine.  This depends on many factors, including type of sport or workout and your body’s sensitivity to caffeine.  It typically takes caffeine 30 to 75 minutes to reach its peak levels in your blood after you ingest it so plan accordingly.

As an athlete there are many benefits to taking caffeine.  If you’re not taking caffeine, don’t be afraid to try something new.  If you are, keep going and reap the rewards. As always talk to your doctor, use common sense, and listen to your body.  Everything in moderation.  And don’t forget…“Be an Athlete.”

(1) Sokmen, Bulent. “Caffeine Use in Sports: Considerations for the Athlete.” The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 22.3 (2008): 978-986. Web. 2 Aug 2011.

(2) Williams, Andrew. “The Effect of Ephedra and Caffeine on Maximal Strength and Power in Resistance-Trained Athletes.” The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 22.2 (2008): 464-470. Web. 2 Aug 2011.

(3) Roti, MW. “Thermoregulatory responses to exercise in the heat: chronic caffeine intake has no effect.” Aviat Space Environ  Med. 77.2 (2006): 124-129. Web 2 Aug 2011.

 

 

 

 

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