Caffeine is present in a large number of foods and drinks, such as coffee, tea, cola, guarana and chocolate. In fact, many of the drinks that contain it are produced with the coffee bean or the tea leaves. But do you know the effects of caffeine in sport?
In this article comeypedalea, he explains how caffeine consumption affects the performance of athletes, as well as the recommended amount that should be ingested in each case.
Benefits of caffeine in the body
We could say that caffeine is one of the most studied substances in the area of ergogenic aids. These studies have shown the ability of caffeine to improve physical performance in endurance sports. Also, improvement in cognitive aspects has been shown.
Some of the effects that caffeine has on our body are:
- Increased concentration of dopamine (neurotransmitter) in some areas of the brain, increasing attention, concentration and reducing symptoms of tiredness.
- Reduction of muscle pain and feeling of strength, decreasing the perception of effort during the practice of physical exercise.
- In addition, at the muscular level, it can have an effect on muscle contraction.
What is the maximum recommended dose of caffeine for sports?
It is essential to know that caffeine produces its peak blood concentration 30 to 90 minutes after it is consumed and is removed around the next 5 hours.
We must also be aware that it affects each organism in a different way, so it is important to train with small doses of said substance and regulate its consumption.
Likewise, the amount of caffeine consumed during physical exercise should be between 2-6mg caffeine/kg of weight. In any case, we have to be aware of many factors such as: race time, type of sports product ingested, tolerance to caffeine, prior training with caffeine, among others.
Consuming more than 6mg of caffeine/kg of weight can cause symptoms such as increased heart rate, irritability, confusion, dizziness, etc.
It is essential to train with different doses of caffeine before any race to ensure consuming an adequate dose for each person.
