11. Caffeinated Energy Drinks & Their Influence on Performance
How the dosage amount of caffeine can affect an athlete’s performance
Dose caffeinated energy drink is a consideration issue for endurance performance (Wang, Jie-Ping et al.) Supplementing with caffeine is common among athletes and generally aids in delaying the onset of fatigue. Caffeine supplements are beneficial for endurance athletes since they do not affect anaerobic performance but instead influence stamina. Athletes experience fatigue and energy loss when their muscles are under oxidative stress. To combat fatigue, caffeine is consumed and thought to have an antioxidant effect on the cells.
Although caffeine essentially works the same way in every athlete’s body, the dosage and the individual’s response affect the outcome drastically. A specific dose may work for one athlete and not another, according to metabolism, tolerance, or other factors. Therefore, a study was conducted on twelve male athletes participating in sprint triathlon training. The study aimed to determine the effect of a high or low caffeine dose on oxidative stress and performance while excluding habitual caffeine consumers. The qualifying participants were asked to ingest either a placebo, a low-dosage caffeine drink, or a high-dosage caffeine drink before completing sprint triathlon tests. The low dosage of caffeine was 111 milligrams, while the high dosage was double. Below are the results.
The participants who consumed the higher dosage of caffeine exhibited significant decreases in their performance. Completion times were increased in 75% of the high-dosage participants.
The low-dosage participants experienced improved performance over the placebo and high-dosage groups.
Excessive caffeine was the cause of poor performance in the athletes that didn’t experience an improvement.
For the athletes that experienced an improvement in their performance, oxidative stress was thought to be lowered by the antioxidant properties of the energy drink consumed during the tests. However, this study has several limitations. The first limitation was that the participants were all from Asia, limiting the ethnic parameter. The second limitation of the study was that all the participants were male. No females were included in the experiment. Therefore, females could experience different results. In addition, the energy drink consumed contained additional ingredients such as elderberry and anserine. Both of the extra components have been proven to reduce oxidative stress, so the additional elements could cloud the study’s results.
In summary, caffeine is a helpful supplementation to delay the onset of fatigue for endurance athletes when appropriately dosed. Although specific organizations, such as The International Society of Sports Nutrition, have recommended dosage amounts, these are broad recommendations. Caffeine dosages should be considered individually, dependent on genetics, metabolism, tolerance, and additional ingredients in the energy drink. Overdosing on caffeine impairs exercise, regardless of oxidative damage.
Wang, Jie-Ping et al. “Dose caffeinated energy drink is a consideration issue for endurance performance.” Frontiers in physiology vol. 13 999811. 28 Oct. 2022, doi:10.3389/fphys.2022.999811