Caffeine for sport and everyday life: effects, dosage and more
Welcome to our story that wakes you up. It's all about caffeine here. We're not going to tell you about latte macchiato or espresso, instead we'll go into a little more depth. This Dextro Energy* story is about caffeine for your sport. And with it new possibilities for your strength or endurance sports. Whether in caffeine tablets or sports drinks, from the dosage to the timing: Let's take a closer look at caffeine. What effect can caffeine have on your body and brain? What effects have studies shown and where is there still scientific disagreement? And above all: How can you consume caffeine as an athlete? Hopefully our story will answer these and many other questions for you. Would you like more information on the topic? Then read on quickly. And maybe you would like to make yourself some coffee beforehand?
Caffeine in sports: everything officially released
Did you know that caffeine was on the official doping list of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) until 2004, when it had to be admitted that the effect was not strong enough and the evidence was too error-prone and even unfair.
Caffeine is therefore officially approved for sports. It is therefore officially a tool that can be used in biohacking . Biohacking, i.e. optimizing one's own physical and mental abilities through the use of numerous small and large tricks (hacks), is a trend that has been gaining momentum since around 2005 and has long since become established in society. Caffeine plays a significant role in this. It is estimated that around 3 billion cups of coffee are drunk every day in the world. The biohack? Caffeine can potentially make you more alert and focused 1 . And it is precisely these and a few other properties that make caffeine so interesting for athletes.
Photographer: @janko.media
The effect of caffeine in endurance sports
Before we take a closer look at what caffeine can do for you, it's important to understand the effects of caffeine in our bodies. Don't worry, we'll keep it short:
Caffeine and your body: a little digression
To put it simply: Caffeine has a stimulating effect when taken in healthy doses. It is a stimulant - a substance that has a stimulating effect on our psyche and ability to concentrate 1,4 , while it can influence alertness, for example 4 . The reason: Caffeine blocks the sleep signal by docking onto adenosine receptors. It occupies the receptors and thus prevents the adenosine from docking onto them - this is actually supposed to tell the body that it is tired after stress. This means that caffeine can have a stimulating effect even when we are already exhausted and ready for bed. It also stimulates the muscles.
Does caffeine really make you more productive?
The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) also asked itself this question and collected, examined and analyzed all relevant studies for its position paper . The result: Many studies have proven that taking caffeine around 60 minutes before the exercise phase can definitely increase the body's performance 2,3 . The effect of caffeine is not enormous, but it is noticeable - but above all, it depends extremely on the individual, as does the exact dose, timing and many other factors. But we'll get to that again in a moment. While sports science agrees on the dosage in which caffeine has a performance-enhancing effect in endurance sports, the facts regarding specific improvements are not quite as clear 2,3 . According to ISSN, many - but not all - studies have shown that caffeine can have a positive effect on muscular endurance and movement speed 2.3 . Particularly exciting: After a comprehensive analysis of all relevant studies available on the topic, the ISSN comes to the conclusion that caffeine appears to increase the physical performance of untrained and trained people equally. So caffeine is worth it for everyone – whether beginner, advanced or competitive athlete!
Caffeine and muscles: is there something to it?
As mentioned above, numerous studies reviewed by The International Society of Sports Nutrition for its report on the effects of caffeine on athletic performance have found that caffeine can have a positive effect on our muscles 2,3 . And in fact: Even if the facts are not yet completely clear and there is still a lot to be researched, initial studies are dealing with the topic of muscle regeneration and the alleviation of muscle soreness through caffeine. As with many other miracle effects attributed to caffeine, there is still room for skepticism here. What is certain, however, is that caffeine has been proven to increase concentration and alertness by stimulating the central nervous system, has a positive effect on endurance performance and can reduce the perceived exertion during endurance exercise.
Caffeine and its dosage
As always: it's the quantity that matters. In fact, the ISSN position paper showed that a caffeine dosage of 3 to 6 mg per kg of body weight is ideal for increasing athletic performance. In its assessment of caffeine, the EFSA agreed on a value of 3 mg/kg body weight one hour before exercise. For orientation: The caffeine content of a cup of filter coffee is around 100 mg caffeine; the type of coffee is of course crucial here. The problem is that if you overdo the caffeine dosage, the side effects can become unpleasant. Nervousness, trembling or a rapidly accelerated pulse are just a few examples.
In general, you should speak to your doctor before taking large amounts of coffee to rule out any risks. Because: The ideal dosage, the duration of action, the effect of caffeine all depend on the individual. Regular coffee consumption, weight, gender and many other factors play an important role here.
Another controversial issue is that of habituation . While some studies come to the conclusion that regular consumption of up to four cups per day reduces or prevents targeted performance promotion with caffeine during exercise, there are others that give the all-clear.
Caffeine for training and competition: coffee cup not necessary
Studies have found that taking it about 60 minutes before training or competition is ideal. Special fruit gums, caffeine gels or water-soluble tablets with caffeine can work faster. By the way, you don't have to buy highly concentrated, bone-dry caffeine tablets from the pharmacy if you want to try out the effects of caffeine for your endurance sports. In our online shop you can buy numerous delicious products with caffeine, which you can also dose much better. Whether delicious liquid gels , practical Energy* gums or Zero Calories° tablets for your water bottle: Find out what caffeine can do for you while hiking, cycling, running, swimming and more. We wish you lots of fun!
* contains carbohydrates
° applies to the prepared drink
1 Caffeine helps improve concentration. This applies to an intake of at least 75 mg of caffeine per serving. Not recommended for children and pregnant women.
2 Caffeine contributes to increasing endurance capacity. This applies to an intake of 3 mg/kg body weight of caffeine one hour before exercise. Not recommended for children and pregnant women.
3 Caffeine contributes to increasing endurance performance. This applies to an intake of 3 mg/kg body weight of caffeine one hour before exercise. Not recommended for children and pregnant women.
4 Caffeine helps increase alertness. This applies to an intake of at least 75 mg of caffeine per serving. Not recommended for children and pregnant women.
5 Caffeine contributes to a reduction in the assessment of perceived exertion during endurance exercise. This applies to intakes of 4 mg/kg or more body weight one hour before exercise. Not recommended for children and pregnant women.
A varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle are important.
SOURCES
Guest NS, VanDusseldorp TA, Nelson MT, et al. International society of sports nutrition position stand: caffeine and exercise performance. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2021;18(1):1. Published 2021 Jan 2. doi:10.1186/s12970-020-00383-4
Motl, RW, O'Connor, PJ, & Dishman, RK (2003). Effect of caffeine on perceptions of leg muscle pain during moderate intensity cycling exercise. Journal of Pain, 4(6), 316-321. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1526-5900(03)00635-7
IMAGE CREDITS
Header image: @iStock
