Caffeine Eases Exercise-Induced Muscle Pain
April 3, 2009 by Liz Lewis
Filed under Exercise, Food and Drink, Happy Living Tip
Great news for all the caffeine addicts out there. It’s a known fact that caffeine is a performance enhancer, one of the very few that isn’t banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
But now a new study by University of Illinois researchers has found that caffeine eases the muscle pains of exercising.
The study involved 25 fit, college-aged men. Some of the participants were regular caffeine users, ie ones who drank at least four cups of coffee (or the equivalent in caffeine laced drinks) a day on average, while others either didn’t take in caffeine at all or only had a small daily intake.
After an initial exercise test on an exercise bike to determine maximal oxygen consumption, the participants were then monitored while doing two high-intensity, half-hour exercise sessions. These two sessions were held a week apart and during that time the guys are expected to refrain from any caffeine, alcohol, and exercise (a big ask college aged guys).
An hour leading up to the exercise sessions, the participants were given either a placebo or a caffeine pill.
Then, while the exercise sessions were in progress, the researchers monitored the participants, collectiing information on oxygen consumption, heart rate, and work rate, and also questioned the participants about their perception of quadricep muscle pain.
The results – it ws found that when taking the caffeine pill, the participants experienced significantly less quadricep muscle pain. This was across the board for both those who where habitual caffeine drinkers and those who were not.
Wonder if this means we’ll soon be seeing coffee cups rather than water bottles strategically placed around the gym?
(image from sxc.hu)
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