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Caffeine
The Performance-and-Endurance Enhancer
Athletes of all persuasions have participated in tons of tests to evaluate caffeine as an enhancer of performance and endurance, and the results, say researchers at Canada's University of Guelph, are "clear as a bell: caffeine works."
The tests show that ingesting 330 mg (or 5 mg per kilogram of body weight) 30 minutes to an hour before workouts results in longer endurance, faster times, less exertion, less fatigue, and more rapid recovery -- up to 30 percent better in each category. The most effective caffeine, though, is in tablet form, not in coffee, because the 100-plus other compounds in coffee probably block some of the effect of caffeine.
Megadoses, however, are not the right answer. Persons who do not drink caffeine steadily get the best workout-enhancer effect. In fact, many groups, including the International Olympic Committee, forbid "very high doses," which they define as 600+ mg. per day (about 5 cups of drip-brewed "regular"). The other caffeine caveat: Don't consume while working out. As a potent diuretic, caffeine dehydrates; what exercisers take for fatigue could be serious dehydration.
The Fat Burner
Research indicates that caffeine is a weight-loss/control catalyst; the studies show that:
- Caffeine, which speeds metabolism, is the most-active ingredient in many "diet pills."
- Caffeine breaks down fat, freeing fatty acids which are immediately burned. Conversion of fat to energy is about 30 percent more efficient when caffeine is consumed prior to exercise. Which brings up another caffeine caveat: The break-down, and the burning, occur only when you're in action!
- While the fat is being burned, the glycogen, glucose, and amino acids (blood sugars) are being reserved -- so blood sugar levels remain higher for longer. Low blood sugar = hunger; high glucose staves off starving. This is why coffee is popular among students and think-tankers. The brain functions exclusively on glucose, and higher blood sugar levels facilitate thinking.
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