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http://www.yourrunning.com/forum-caffeine_help_or_hurt Q: Lately I've been downing coffee in the morning, before going out for a run. It got me to thinking: Do the positive effects (jolt of energy, increased altertness and focus, enhanced mood and performance) of caffeine outway the negative (dehydration, dependence, stomach issues from coffee - especially if consumed on an empty stomach)? What have you guys experienced? Simon says: However, I've found the dose to me important. Taking caffeine British-style, in black tea with milk, give a much gentler and smoother nudge to the nervous system than a jolt of espresso. I like my latte, but it can get me too wound up -- especially on an empty stomach. When I'm racing or training I'm very careful about how much coffee I take beforehand; I want the positive effects but I don't want to send my heart rate through the roof. The exact effect you get depends on how often you use it. Having been weaned on tea, I need LOTS of it for it to have any effect :) It's worth remembering that caffeine is a drug very similar chemically to one they use in asthma treatment; it can improve lung function. There's even been research showing that caffeine can reduce post-exercise muscle pain and soreness by up to 50% -- better than drugs like Aleve or aspirin. On the dehydration thing: being an inquisitive sort I experimented over the course of a few days -- actually keeping track of frequency and volume of urine I produced while drinking various amounts of tea, coffee and water and checking my hydration level on a Tanita scale. Caffeine intake had no effect -- it does not make me more dehydrated. I think that myth ahs also been busted "officially" with some proper research. weltal327 says: "Using subjects who habitually consumed a relatively low amount of caffeine, equivalent to one 6-ounce cup of brewed coffee (100 mg/day; about 1.3 mg caffeine/kg), they found no detrimental effects of caffeine on 24-hour urine volume (Armstrong, International Journal of Sports Nutrition, June 2005). By day's end, the urine losses were similar whether the person consumed no caffeine or a high dose. How did the "coffee is dehydrating" myth start? The initial studies looked at urine collection just 2 to 4 hours after caffeine-consumption (not the 24-hour picture), did not compare coffee to water, or used very high doses of caffeine. We now know people have similar urine volume whether they consume caffeinated (less than 3 mg caffeine/kg) or plain water. " http://www.runtheplanet.com/trainingracing/nutrition/caffeine.asp | |
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Caffeine: help or hurt? |
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