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Got Buzz?
Article
By
Selene Yeager from prevention.com
What caffeine-the most widely used performance-enhancing
drug in the world-can do for you.
Once a ritual pick-me-up reserved for early mornings and office breaks, the
caffeine fix is now an all-day affair: We slurp it in energy drinks, shoot it in
carbo gels, even mix it into martinis. While always being juiced on java isn't
good for you, a well-timed, well-measured jolt can be a performance-enhancing
drug to cyclists-a legal one.
Studies dating back to the '70s have shown that the amount of caffeine in about
two cups of coffee can boost endurance sports performance. Recently, Australian
researchers found that even a single cup of joe consumed an hour before saddling
up could increase riders' time to exhaustion by almost a third. "Caffeine is one
of the most well-researched ergogenic aids in the world," says sports
nutritionist Jacqueline Berning, Ph.D., R.D., associate professor at the
University of Colorado in Colorado Springs. "Used wisely, it's also one of the
most reliable."
Nature's TurboCharge
Contained naturally in about 60 species of plants including coffee beans, tea
leaves, cocoa beans, guarana and kola nuts, caffeine is the most widely used
drug in the world. It's prized for its stimulating effects, making you alert,
attentive and better able to concentrate, whether driving in rush-hour traffic
or cornering in your local crit.
At the muscular level, caffeine helps spare precious glycogen stores by
stimulating the release and metabolism of free fatty acids as an energy source.
In one study, athletes who drank the equivalent of two cups of coffee before
exercise enjoyed a 50-percent increase in circulating free fatty acids, a huge
advantage for cyclists, who are already efficient fat burners.
Equally important, caffeine reduces your perception of exercise by altering the
signals sent by your muscles to your central nervous system. In other words, it
jacks you up so much you can't feel your legs screaming. In a recent study in
the aptly named Journal of Pain, cyclists who popped a high dose (about 680mg
for a 150-pound male) of caffeine before riding 30 minutes on stationary bikes
had significantly less muscle pain during their effort than those who rode
caffeine-free.
One of the things caffeine doesn't affect is how much you pee. Though it has
long been demonized as a diuretic, recent studies have shown that caffeine
increases urine output only mildly, if at all, so it doesn't add to an athlete's
risk for dehydration.
Dial in Your Dose
So what's the downside? Some people are sensitive to caffeine, so even small
amounts amp up their anxiety level, leaving them jittery and restless. A more
common problem is simple substance abuse, says Berning. Overdone, caffeine can
send your heart rate soaring, which will raise your exercising heart rate and
make breathing more difficult. It may also disrupt your sleep pattern or send
you sprinting to the nearest Porta-John with intestinal distress.
As anyone who's found the bean bin empty can attest, caffeine is pretty
addictive. In fact, Johns Hopkins University researchers recently campaigned for
caffeine withdrawal-and the headaches and irritability that come with it-to be
considered an official medical disorder.
The optimal performance-boosting dose: "Two to three 8-ounce cups of coffee,
consumed one to two hours before your effort," says Berning. That's
approximately 4mg per kilogram of body weight, or about 300mg for an average
male cyclist. How much is too much? While the World Anti-Doping Agency has
removed caffeine from its list of banned and restricted substances, the U.S.
Olympic Committee busts athletes who have consumed more than the equivalent of
600mg of caffeine, or 12 espressos within a two- to three-hour period.
Article By Selene
Yeager from prevention.com
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