Caffeine withdrawal and high-intensity endurance cycling performance
Christopher Irwin1, Ben Desbrow, Aleisha Ellis
1School of Public Health, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. c.irwin@griffith.edu.au
Journal of Sports Sciences
|February 1, 2011
Summary
A 4-day caffeine withdrawal did not significantly alter the performance benefits of a 3 mg/kg caffeine dose in trained cyclists. Acute caffeine intake improved endurance exercise performance regardless of prior caffeine consumption.
Area of Science:
- Exercise Physiology
- Nutritional Science
- Sports Medicine
Background:
- Caffeine is a widely used ergogenic aid in sports.
- The impact of prior caffeine withdrawal on acute caffeine's ergogenic effect is debated.
- Habitual caffeine consumers may experience different responses to caffeine supplementation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of a 4-day caffeine withdrawal on acute caffeine's impact on endurance exercise performance.
- To compare the ergogenic effect of caffeine with and without a preceding withdrawal period in trained cyclists.
Main Methods:
- Double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over design with 12 trained male cyclists.
- Four trials: placebo-placebo, placebo-caffeine, caffeine-placebo, caffeine-caffeine.
- Caffeine doses: 1.5 mg/kg/day for 4 days (withdrawal/non-withdrawal), 3 mg/kg on test day.
Main Results:
- A 3 mg/kg caffeine dose significantly improved time trial performance by 3.0% after withdrawal and 3.6% without withdrawal.
- No significant difference in performance improvement between withdrawal and non-withdrawal conditions.
- Higher average heart rate with caffeine, but no difference in perceived exertion.
Conclusions:
- A 3 mg/kg caffeine dose enhances endurance exercise performance in trained cyclists.
- This performance enhancement is independent of a 4-day caffeine withdrawal period for habitual consumers.
- Caffeine's ergogenic effect on performance is robust even with recent caffeine intake.
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