Effects of caffeine on sport performance

Caffeine is classified as a stimulant. Caffeine can be found in coffee, energy drinks, sports drinks, soda, & some bars.

The American Alliance for Health proposed three ways that caffeine may provide ergogenic effects:

The metabolic theory suggests that caffeine provides improved endurance due to an increased use of fat as fuel and a sparing effect on carbohydrate utilization.

Caffeine may increase the calcium content of the skeletal muscle and enhance the strength of muscle contraction.

Caffeine has a direct effect on the central nervous system as a stimulant, which can help with fatigue, increased alertness, and increased muscle recruitment.

Effects of Caffeine on Prolonged Intermittent Sprint Ability in Team-Sport Athletes

method:
Used a double-blind, placebo-controlled design

participants:
Ten male, moderately trained, team-sport athletes (age 20 +/-3 yr, height 179+/- 5 cm, mass 77.7+/-13.9 kg, peak oxygen uptake (V˙O2peak) 56.5 T 8.0 mL kg

All subjects had participated in Australian rules football, soccer, and hockey.

To standardize diet and exercise, participants were asked to prepare for each testing session as they would for an important match. To assist in this, participants were asked to keep a food and activity diary for the 48-h period before each test and were asked to avoid alcohol and vigorous exercise during this time. Participants were given a list of caffeine-containing foods and beverages and were asked to abstain from consuming these products from 48 h preceding the initial testing session, until completion of the experimental trials. On testing days, participants consumed no food or beverages before the test (other than what was provided by the experimenters).

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