Plenty of coffee could help endurance sports people, according to new research.
A study by the University of Coventry found drinking enough caffeine could boost a person’s performance by 6% in an activity where the muscles are not overworked.
Researchers in the Department of Biomolecular and Sports Science studied the effect of the stimulant on both the power output and endurance of the lower leg muscle in mice in maximal and sub-maximal activities.
Maximal activity is extreme use of the muscle such as sprinting or weightlifting, while sub-maximal covers all other activities including running a marathon.
The findings could have implications for the use of caffeine in sporting events as there no regulations restricting its use.
It was taken off the banned substances list set by the World Anti-Doping Agency in 2004.
Study author Dr Rob James said: “A small increase in performance via caffeine could mean the difference between a gold medal in the Olympics and an also-ran.”
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
