No Thanks, Hold the Java, There's a Mountain Ahead

Well, it didn't take long to come across an opposing study about the effects of caffeine on athletes:

"We now have good evidence that, at the level of myocardial blood flow, caffeine is not a useful stimulant. It may be a stimulant at the cerebral level in terms of being more awake and alert, which may subjectively give the feeling of having better physical performance. But I now would not recommend that any athlete drink caffeine before sports. It may not be a physical stimulant, and may even adversely affect physical performance," Dr. Kaufmann said. "It may not be as harmless as we thought before, particularly if you suffer from coronary artery disease or if you are in the mountains."

Full article.

Off to make the first double latte of the day.

One more coffee for the road?

From today's NYT:

Caffeine, it turns out, actually works. And it is legal, one of the few performance enhancers that is not banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency. So even as sports stars from baseball players to cyclists to sprinters are pilloried for using performance enhancing drugs, one of the best studied performance enhancers is fine for them or anyone else to use. And it is right there in a cup of coffee or a can of soda.

Full article.

Phun Physiology: Post-Exercise Consumption of Caffeine-Carbohydrate Combo Speeds Muscle Glycogen Re-synthesis, by Dean Furbish

There is something new in our understanding of the effects of caffeine on athletic performance!

Caffeine intake after exercise in addition to carbohydrate consumption boosts the rate of muscle glycogen re-synthesis, thereby speeding recovery, according to a team of Australian researchers. Muscles store energy in the form of glycogen for future use. The application of this knowledge would provide endurance athletes who compete on successive days an obvious advantage.

The article which appeared in the Journal of Applied Physiology in June 2008 indicates that subjects who consumed both carbohydrates and caffeine after exhaustive exercise rebuilt 66% more new muscle glycogen than subjects who consumed just carbohydrate and no caffeine. The dramatic effect was seen after only four hours of recovery.

Our readers know that writers here at RTP have unabashedly extolled the virtues of caffeine. We’ve known for some time based on hundreds of studies that caffeine can boost athletic performance. Thus the pre-ride cup of coffee and the caffeinated gels and other fixes during the ride. Now, thanks to our Aussie friends, we have one more reason to continue celebrating caffeine even after the ride. And that ain’t no hill of beans!

As with most scientific studies, there are some caveats. Obviously, some people do not tolerate caffeine. Additionally, the dosage—8mg caffeine/kg body wt—amounts to the equivalent of five cups of coffee for an “average-size” person, according to the lead researcher. The question is whether similar results can be achieved with less caffeine, something the researchers will be addressing.

One strength of the study was the use of trained athletes as subjects. Moreover, an underlying mechanism was suggested, a calcium-dependent enzyme which speeds glucose transport into muscle. For those interested in the actual study, the reference is: Pederson, D.J. (May 8, 2008). High rates of muscle glycogen resynthesis after exhaustive exercise when carbohydrate is co-ingested with caffeine. J Appl Physiol.