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Caffeine

Caffeine, Hydration, Performance, Wellness
Brewing Success: Impact of Coffee On Athletic Performance
- January 10, 2024
While rigorous training and a well-balanced diet play pivotal roles, there’s one ally that often goes unnoticed – coffee. Beyond its comforting aroma and rich flavor, coffee contains caffeine, a natural stimulant that can significantly impact athletic prowess. Within many sports, soccer especially, coffee has become a part of the culture and is essentially a requirement to keep available. In this blog post, we’ll explore the nuances of coffee consumption for athletes, shedding light on the optimal caffeine concentration, timing, and potential pitfalls.

Understanding Coffee Caffeine Concentration

Not all cups of coffee are created equal, and understanding the caffeine concentration is key for athletes aiming to harness its benefits. The amount of caffeine can vary depending on factors such as the type of coffee bean, brewing method, and serving size. Espresso, for example, tends to have a higher caffeine concentration compared to drip coffee. Athletes should be mindful of these variations and experiment to find the brew that works best for them. A simple Google search can give a close idea of the caffeine concentration of your favorite brew.

Form of Caffeine and Absorption

The form in which caffeine is consumed can also impact its absorption in the body. While coffee is a popular choice, other sources of caffeine, such as energy drinks or supplements, exist. Studies suggest that caffeine from coffee may have different absorption rates compared to synthetic sources. Generally speaking, ranking from fastest to slowest absorption based on the source it tends to go; gum, liquid, capsule/supplement. Athletes should explore different forms to find what suits their body and training regimen.

Optimal Caffeine Targets

The benefits of caffeine kick in at specific dosage levels. Research indicates that an optimal range for performance enhancement is around 3-6mg of caffeine per kilogram of body weight. Athletes should calculate their ideal dosage within this range and tailor their coffee consumption accordingly. For example, an athlete weighing 175 pounds would look for caffeine consumption of around 240 to 480 milligrams. An average 8oz cup of coffee generally has ~100mg of caffeine in it as well for reference.

Timing is Key

The timing of coffee intake can make or break its impact on athletic performance. To maximize the benefits, athletes are advised to consume coffee approximately 60 minutes before engaging in physical activity. This timeframe allows for peak caffeine levels in the bloodstream during the workout, enhancing alertness and endurance.

No Dehydration Worries

Contrary to popular belief, moderate coffee consumption does not lead to dehydration. As long as athletes maintain a balanced fluid intake, coffee can be included in their hydration strategy. It’s essential to note that excessive caffeine intake may have diuretic effects, so moderation is key. This excessive intake level though is unlikely to be consumed during typical consumption. So, unless you’re drinking straight out of the pot with unlimited refills this likely won’t be a concern.

Caffeine’s Half-Life

Understanding the half-life of caffeine is crucial for athletes planning their coffee intake. With a half-life of approximately 6 hours, it’s advisable not to consume coffee too late in the day, especially for those sensitive to caffeine. Late-afternoon or evening coffee may interfere with sleep patterns, affecting recovery and overall performance the next day due to obstructed sleep. Understandably though for later games, late caffeine intake may be unavoidable. That’s ok! What’s important is make sure that on regular training or off days to avoid that late consumption to maximize sleep recovery.

Jitters and Individual Variability

While many athletes benefit from coffee, some individuals may experience increased jitters, especially if they are nervous or overly sensitive to caffeine. It’s essential to recognize individual variability and listen to your body. If jitteriness becomes a concern, adjusting the dosage or timing may help mitigate these effects.

Not a One-Size-Fits-All Solution

It’s important to recognize that not every athlete responds positively to coffee consumption. Individual differences in genetics, tolerance, and personal preferences play a role. Athletes should listen to their bodies and assess how coffee impacts their performance. If the benefits aren’t evident, exploring alternative strategies for energy and focus may be worthwhile.

Conclusion

Coffee, with its caffeine content, can be a valuable tool in an athlete’s arsenal for enhancing performance. By understanding the nuances of caffeine concentration, optimal dosage, timing, and potential pitfalls, athletes can tailor their coffee consumption to suit their individual needs. Remember, the key is to experiment, listen to your body, and find what works best for you. So, brew that cup of success and elevate your athletic performance to new heights!

Study referenced: click here

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Caffeine, Energy, Hydration, safety, Supplements
Breaking down energy drinks and their safety
- April 5, 2023
Between their bright colors, crazy TV commercials and social media influencers, energy drinks are everywhere. Not only are they just around but they are pushed and marketed a lot! This constant exposure can begin to leave feelings of false comfort and safety though. I fell for this myself firsthand in college cramming for exams. Those 5-hour energy shots were something that I kept in my bad all finals week. In hindsight now I know why I was feeling jittery and my heart felt “off” during that time. Add these types of things to physical activity and energy drinks can be even a potentially dangerous thing. Always stay mindful and cautious about what you put in your body.

Caffeine content

I’m going to estimate that 90% of the benefits that energy drinks may provide comes from caffeine. That is why every single one of the top 75 selling drinks out there contain it. The remaining 10% benefit is from the hydration of the fluid itself. Now please don’t quote me on those numbers, I’m just making a point. Caffeine is one of the most studied supplements in the world and that is not an exaggeration. What’s important though is being mindful of how much you are consuming. As mentioned below this can become a bit of a safety issue in the energy drink world. The main takeaway here though is to don’t let a marketing trick try to convince you there’s something uniquely special about their drink that will help you. Odds are very high it’s just the caffeine doing the heavy lifting.

Energy drinks mystery ingredients

Within energy drinks tends to be a hefty mix of additional ingredients. Some of the popular ones include taurine, guarana, carnitine and other vitamins. Individually studied these ingredients may have some justification for potential benefits. Everything combined into one thing is where some confusion sets in. We know very little about how this ingredient smoothy within energy drinks all works together. While energy drinks have become fairly common and fortunately the majority of people consuming it are fine, it is still a bit of a question mark. I’m a bigger fan of recommending a simple coffee where you know what you’re getting. The only added ingredients are perhaps some milk or sugar. Unless it’s a Starbucks order that 13 words long but that’s a different discussion!

Energy drinks safety

Nutrition Facts Panel on food labels are not always required to list caffeine as it is technically not a nutrient. Some energy drinks sell themselves as sodas and sports drinks falling into that category. As a result, they don’t have to disclose how much caffeine in actually in their product. To add to that, some may list caffeine but put it under a “proprietary blend” so that they still can avoid listing specifically how much caffeine and every other ingredient in that blend is within it. That is terrifying! In additional to that it’s always a good idea for kids and pregnant individuals to avoid these. Unfortunately, marketing does a great job of targeting adolescents. Stay mindful and help steer them away and towards safer beverages like water or even Gatorade.

Better alternatives

Most people are reaching for energy drinks for just that, energy. There are so many better ways to boost your energy in a safer and cheaper manner! Right away the biggest thing is sleep. If you are getting less than 7 hours of sleep each night that is a big factor. Coming in right beside that is hydration. If you’re dehydrated your heart is going to be working harder and beating quicker. This is going to cause you to feel tired and fatigue quicker. It’s a similar thing to when exercising and your heart beats quicker when sprinting you can’t go as long. Another simple energy booster is having a snack! Every feels better with a snack on hand for a pick me up. These three things will have you feeling better and not grabbing those energy drinks.

Study referenced: click here

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Caffeine, Energy, Metabolism, Performance, safety, Supplements, Wellness
Caffeine being marketed for increased fat loss. Beware the hype!
- January 11, 2023
Caffeine is one of the most used supplements out there. Partially due to how abundantly available it is. You have coffee, sodas, energy drinks, tea and many other items are infusing it as well. From a marketing perspective, it is sometimes presented as a fat burner. With many wanting to improve their body comp, this is a very attractive thing for many people. Due to that attraction, naturally marketing companies have jumped on it. Many supplements and other items claim that as a benefit of their product due to the addition of caffeine. These claims are likely a little bit skewed and blown out of proportion.

Caffeine impact on fat

Caffeine is one of the most widely studied supplements/ingredients out there. Amongst these studies there are a lot that analyzed its impact on fat utilization and in short, there isn’t much. While there is a slight increase in the body pulling fat for energy after caffeine, it’s not in a large amount. Certainly, nowhere near as much as the claims may try to make you believe.

Situations where the increase in fat utilization were most present were when at rest/lower intensity activities and in less trained individuals. For athletes and those who have been exercising for a long time, don’t look to caffeine for a magic pill. Again, there may be a small benefit but it will be incredibly minimal. The real benefit would be in its impact on performance. A benefit which doesn’t come from the increased fat usage to preserve glycogen stores.

Caffeine impact on performance

Where caffeine really shines is the benefit it can have on performance when used properly. This benefit is caffeine’s ability to decrease the feeling of fatigue during physical activity. There are certain receptors on the brain called adenosine receptors. These receptors typically receive messages from the body to slow down and hit the brakes through a compound in the body called adenosine.

If adenosine cannot get to those receptors, the message to slow down doesn’t get to the brain. Just like if you are on the phone with someone and another person tries to call, they cannot get through. Without a stop sign being put up, the body is able to push itself harder and perform more/better.

When used appropriately for this manner, caffeine can be beneficial. I recommend though using natural sources of caffeine and limiting things like energy drinks and pre-workout supplements. Coffee is my go-to but make sure it sits well for you and try it out during a practice first.

Warnings of fat loss claims

As we discussed, caffeine has a lot of benefits but fat loss isn’t one of them. Many supplements out their try to make this claim and if you see it that should be a red flag. They are targeting to an audience looking for a quick fix to achieve a goal many desire. These are the most common types of supplements which end up containing banned ingredients. For an athlete, at best this can mean disqualification from some competition. At worst, could result in serious health consequences.

Appropriate strategies for fat loss

Like most things in life, there isn’t a magic trick to achieve those results. It takes effort, consistency and everyone’s favorite P-word….patience. It all begins with making sure your portion sizes of meals/snacks are appropriate. They should contain a good protein source at each meal and snack and getting good sleep are all major factors. Throw in some exercise and you’ve got a recipe for success right there. It’s nothing crazy and it’s not supposed to be! Getting into a routine to maintain consistency is the real challenge but is very doable. Just don’t expect caffeine or any other stimulant to be a short-cut.

Study referenced: click here

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