We've all heard it and the warning have been made very clear: coffee contains toxins that when taken can induce health related problems. While once reckoned true, studies and scientific evidences now points us out to the opposite direction. Coffee when taken in moderation can actually work wonders for your health. Moreover, athletes and sports enthusiasts can now heave a sigh of relief as caffeine, an isolated substance, commonly found in coffee has been demonstrated to improve athletic performance.
This psychoactive element, a substance chemically known as 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine is dubbed as the most consumed psychoactive element, can be found either in natural sources such as coffee, tea, cacao beans or commercially available for bodybuilders and athletes as a sport supplement form or in isolated anhydrous capsules, the form which is usually used in researches. Trimethylxanthine when ingested causes a series of responses on our body; it stimulates the brain accounting for a better mental acuity and stamina plus a set of physiological responses ranging from longer physical endurance, to fat burning activities and even up to the release of free fatty acids. Mental and physical advantages aside, do they really help athletes gear up for their upcoming performance?
The ergogenic benefits of this psychoactive substance have been the subject of many researches since 1978 and most of them indicated increased in athletic performance upon consumption. A study conducted at the Carnegie Research Institute involved twelve endurance-trained male cyclists to perform after moderated consumption of caffeine or placebo with perceived exertion as a tool assessed at regular intervals was accomplished. The scientific venture showed that moderate amount of the psychoactive substance consumed 1 hour prior to exercise leads to a more positive subjective experience during prolonged cycling. In addition, another study performed at the California State University was done to evaluate the minimal effect acute caffeine ingestion on intense training performance of fourteen resistance-trained men. True enough, the results of the study favored trimethylxanthine with a meaningful increase in total weight lifted of subjects taking the psychoactive element in contrast to the placebo group.
The scientific evidences available favoring on the ergogenic benefits are pretty convincing and the performance-boosting effect of trimethylxanthine continue to benefit most cyclists, runners and other time trial and power athletic performance. In fact, the positive connotations regarding caffeine intake does not stop there. Another study conducted by researchers from University of Western Australia assessed the effects of trimethylxanthine on repeated sprint ability (RSA), reactive agility time (RAT), sleep and next day performance. The trials involved ten moderately trained male athletes subjected to receive either caffeine or placebo supplementation 1 hour prior exercises. The single-blind, randomized, crossover research concluded that a significant improvement was present in athletes taking the stimulant substance in terms of repeated sprint ability and next day performance compared to the placebo group.
Trimethylxanthine's glycogen-sparing ability and utilization of fats as an energy source may be accounted for enhanced endurance during performance. Furthermore, as a stimulant, it acts to prevent the binding of adenosine to the brain chemical's receptors. By blocking adenosine, it also hinders its calming effect, thus the improved alertness, concentration, increased energy bouts and longer physical stamina experienced upon intake. However, a number of studies need to be conducted first to truly understand the mechanism by which this psychoactive substance acts to improve one's athletic performance.
With the help of constant researches and updates, we are now made closer and much more aware with the advantages of caffeine. Take note though that most researches utilizes moderate amount and are particularly ingested 1 hour prior performance. The same thing also goes in real life and as always moderation is the key. Take the right amount to get the right kind of effect you are expecting, otherwise, over usage might just drag you to more harm than benefits.
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