{"id":35759,"date":"2017-05-07T17:15:50","date_gmt":"2017-05-07T15:15:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/getindya.com\/?p=35759"},"modified":"2026-11-03T17:27:29","modified_gmt":"2026-11-03T16:27:29","slug":"caffeine-sporting-performance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/getindya.com\/en\/caffeine-sporting-performance\/","title":{"rendered":"Caffeine and sporting performance"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Caffeine is a naturally occurring alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant.<\/span><span class=\"s1\"> It is widely consumed in coffee, tea, guarana, cocoa, cola and some energy drinks. Caffeine is not itself a prohibited doping substance under current WADA rules, although athletes should always check current rules and product ingredients.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>What happens when we drink coffee?<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">As often happens in nutrition, it depends. Absorption begins relatively quickly, sometimes within around 20 minutes. Blood concentrations can be high at 30\u201345 minutes and often peak around an hour, although timing varies with the product and food intake. A commonly quoted half-life is 3\u20135 hours, with substantial individual variation and longer persistence in some circumstances.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>How does caffeine work?<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Adenosine is involved in sleep pressure. When it acts at its receptors, it can promote sleepiness. <\/span><span class=\"s1\">Caffeine blocks some of these receptors, reducing the perception of tiredness without removing the underlying need for sleep.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Proposed mechanisms behind its exercise effects include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Changes in fat mobilisation have been discussed historically, but glycogen sparing is not considered a reliable explanation for caffeine\u2019s performance benefits.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Possible effects on muscle excitation and calcium handling, depending on dose and conditions.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Central nervous system effects that can reduce perceived exertion and fatigue.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1172\" src=\"https:\/\/getindya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/IND-nutricion-rendimiento-deporte-trail-cafeina-cafe.jpg\" alt=\"Coffee, caffeine and sporting performance \u2013 INDYA\" width=\"840\" height=\"567\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>So, lots of coffee for a harder workout?<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">No. The source gives 250 mg\/day, approximately three coffees, as a moderate example, but coffee strength varies greatly and no dose is risk-free for everyone. Consider sleep, anxiety, heart symptoms, medication and total intake from all sources.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">It is true <\/span><span class=\"s2\">that<\/span><span class=\"s1\"> caffeine can improve some sporting outcomes, but the effect depends on the athlete, exercise and dose.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><span class=\"s2\">A 1998 study by Graham, Hibbert and Sathasivam suggested that coffee might contain<\/span> compounds affecting caffeine\u2019s ergogenic effect. That single finding does not establish that<\/span><span class=\"s2\"> <strong>anhydrous caffeine<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"s1\"> always outperforms the same dose of <\/span><strong><span class=\"s2\">caffeine<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"s2\"> from<\/span><strong><span class=\"s2\"> <\/span><\/strong><span class=\"s1\">coffee<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><strong>Caffeine can improve some endurance outcomes<\/strong>, but a universal 10\u201320% delay in fatigue lasting 6 hours is not a reliable promise. Evidence also supports benefits in some short-duration and high-intensity activities, so the source\u2019s blanket exclusion of these is outdated.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Responses to caffeine differ, so a supplementation strategy should be individualised.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;font-size: 12pt\">Both genetic and environmental factors may contribute.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The <strong>CYP1A2 and ADORA2A genes<\/strong> relate to caffeine metabolism and adenosine receptors, respectively.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> However, genetic categories do not reliably predict every person\u2019s performance or side effects. Caffeine blocks adenosine signalling; increasing the dose does not produce unlimited benefit.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Smoking, hormonal factors, medication, habitual intake, dose, timing and format can all influence response.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Test a suitable plan during training with professional guidance. The original 3\u20139 mg\/kg range includes high doses with greater side-effect risk; lower doses can work. Gum can be absorbed rapidly, but no format is universally best.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"s1\"><b>Does caffeine dehydrate you?<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">This linked <span style=\"color: #33cccc\">article<\/span> discusses hydration. Moderate caffeine intake does not usually cause dehydration in accustomed healthy adults, although it may have a mild diuretic effect at rest. That is different from saying it has no diuretic action at all.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>When should it be taken?<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Timing depends on the product and individual. Around 1 hour before exercise is commonly studied for capsules or coffee; the original rule of 3 hours for power and 1 hour for endurance is not universal.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Dose depends on the event, person and tolerance. Someone who drinks 3 coffees daily may respond differently from someone who rarely has caffeine, but routine withdrawal is not always needed and can cause headaches or other symptoms.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Studies use a range around 1\u20136 mg\/kg, with benefits often possible toward the lower end. Doses above 9 mg\/kg are not recommended as a way to obtain greater benefit and can increase adverse effects. These sporting doses do not override general safety advice or individual contraindications.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Do not test a new caffeine strategy on competition day. Assess response during training, including its effect on sleep and recovery.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>For an <strong>online nutritionist<\/strong> to design a <strong>personalised diet<\/strong>, explore our <a href=\"https:\/\/getindya.com\/\">online sports nutritionist<\/a> service and prices.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\">References<\/span><\/p>\n<ol class=\"ol1\">\n<li class=\"li2\"><span class=\"s1\">Womack CJ, et al. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2012;9(1):7.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li2\"><span class=\"s1\">Loy B, et al. Journal of Caffeine Research 2015;5(2):73\u201381.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li2\"><span class=\"s1\">Pickering C, Kiely J. Are the Current Guidelines on Caffeine Use in Sport Optimal for Everyone? Inter-individual Variation in Caffeine Ergogenicity, and a Move Towards Personalised Sports Nutrition. Sports Med. 2017.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How does caffeine work, and when might it help? Explore timing, individual responses, hydration and practical cautions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":10274,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[213],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35759","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nutrition"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/getindya.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35759","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/getindya.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/getindya.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/getindya.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/getindya.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35759"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/getindya.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35759\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35760,"href":"https:\/\/getindya.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35759\/revisions\/35760"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/getindya.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10274"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/getindya.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35759"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/getindya.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35759"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/getindya.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35759"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}