Could Coffee Improve Athletic Performance?

A new study from University of Georgia researchers suggests that the caffeine found in a morning cup of coffee may help boost athletic endurance.

A team led by Simon Higgins, a third-year doctoral student in kinesiology at the University’s College of Education, reviewed more than 600 scholarly articles. Higgins and colleagues screened for those that concentrated strictly on caffeinated-coffee conditions, measured the caffeine dose and measured an endurance performance. Among these studies, 9 randomized control trials used coffee to bolster athletic endurance, according to the authors.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

RELATED CONTENT
Drinking 3 Cups of Coffee A Day Reduces Mortality Risk
Could Coffee Reduce the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

In evaluating these 9 trials, the team found that consuming between 3 and 7 milligrams per kilogram of body weight of caffeine from coffee increased endurance by an average of 24%, according to the authors, who note that the amount of caffeine found in a cup of coffee can range from 75 mg to more than 150 mg, based on how the coffee is roasted and brewed.

Higgins notes that “there is currently limited literature” on this topic, and describes the review as “a call for further research in the area of caffeine-from-coffee and performance, along with the positive and negative effects that other compounds within coffee might have on its ergogenic potential.”

While he doesn’t see the review having a “profound effect” on how primary care physicians approach the treatment or management of patients involved in athletic activities, he urges primary practitioners to follow standard guidelines, such as those set forth by the International Society of Sports Nutrition “when discussing the appropriate use and dosage of caffeine as an ergogenic aid.”

Primary care physicians should also keep potential doping issues—such as the NCAA urinary caffeine concentration limit—in mind when working with patients in high-level athletics, says Higgins, adding that “it’s pertinent to note that the ingestion of caffeine via coffee is to improve performance in otherwise healthy athletes, and does not take into account special patient populations.” 

Though the review gives an example of a range of coffee intake needed to expect an ergogenic response, “this is based on what was seen in the included studies and we strongly emphasize the variability in coffee’s caffeine content due to a variety of factors such as bean variety, and grinding and brewing methods,” he says. “Therefore, individuals should be careful if they decide to use coffee as a vehicle for caffeine intake, so that they do not inadvertently ingest too much caffeine.”

—Mark McGraw

Reference

Higgins S, Straight C, et al. The Effects of Pre-Exercise Caffeinated-Coffee Ingestion on Endurance Performance: An Evidence-Based Review. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. 2015.