What type of athletes use caffeine

Sports drink or water? Well, that depends. Has WADA helped or hurt the anti-doping movement? Skip to main content. Edith Noriega is a junior journalism student at Arizona State University Related Articles Caffeine use in sports, pharmacokinetics in man and cellular mechanisms of action Athletes need to choose wisely when filling up their plate Sports drink or water? Email Address. First Name. Last Name. Caffeine-containing beverages typically contain mg of caffeine but this varies widely between products and brands.

Caffeine is becoming increasingly popular in sport to help improve performance and various caffeinated supplements and sports products are now being marketed to and consumed by athletes. He said for many athletes in his studies, doses of to milligrams were not helpful, especially in hot weather. I do use Coca-Cola in the last 20 kilometers. So it is difficult. In , Ganio and his colleagues published a systematic review of 21 studies on caffeine in timed performance. Most of the researchers looked at subjects cycling, but some also studied running, rowing, and cross-country skiing, and most of the tests were in the minute to two-hour range.

Looking across all the results, Ganio found consistent improvements in performance. The improvements can be substantial, he told me, often as much as 3 percent. To put that into context, a 3 percent improvement would mean an minute boost in a hour race. But on average, it does improve performance. For recreational athletes, too, the effects can be dramatic. A runner who is able to complete a 10K race in 40 minutes without caffeine could shave off 72 seconds with caffeine.

And caffeine could allow a cyclist competing in a one-hour time trial to drop a minute and a half. Ganio said it is important to take the right dose, which shakes out to about three to six milligrams per kilogram of body mass. That is a lot of caffeine. A ounce Starbucks Vanilla Frapuccino perks you up with calories of sugar and fat; a Dunkin' Donuts Coffee Coolatta is calories. These are not "diet beverages. Athletes vary in their response to caffeine; some are very sensitive and prefer to abstain rather than get over stimulated.

Others thrive on a jumbo cup of brew. Clearly, you have to learn through trial and error the amount of caffeine that works best for your body -- if any at all. Perhaps more sleep could be the better energizer for some low-energy athletes. Sports dietitian Nancy Clark, M.

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