Abstract
Caffeine is a well-established ergogenic aid, demonstrated to enhance performance across a wide range of capacities through a variety of mechanisms. As such, it is frequently used by both athletes and non-athletes alike. As a result, caffeine ingestion is ubiquitous in modern society, with athletes typically being exposed to regular non-supplemental caffeine through a variety of sources. Previously, it has been suggested that regular caffeine use may lead to habituation and subsequently a reduction in the expected ergogenic effects, thereby blunting caffeine’s performance-enhancing impact during critical training and performance events. In order to mitigate this expected performance loss, some practitioners recommended a pre-competition withdrawal period to restore the optimal performance benefits of caffeine supplementation. However, at present the evidence base exploring both caffeine habituation and withdrawal strategies in athletes is surprisingly small. Accordingly, despite the prevalence of caffeine use within athletic populations, formulating evidence-led guidelines is difficult. Here, we review the available research regarding habitual caffeine use in athletes and seek to derive rational interpretations of what is currently known—and what else we need to know—regarding habitual caffeine use in athletes, and how athletes and performance staff may pragmatically approach these important, complex, and yet under-explored phenomena.
Highlights
Caffeine (1,3,7-trimethylxanthine) is a widely used drug, consumed daily by 80% of the world’s population [1]
Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in ADORA2A and CYP1A2 appear to impact habitual caffeine intake [52,53,54], with those possessing the more sensitive genotype consuming less caffeine. Such findings further complicate our understanding of the effects of habitual caffeine use in athletes; given the individual responsiveness to caffeine, is habitual use a function of specific genetic polymorphisms, making measurement of habitual caffeine intake a proxy for genotype? these single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) may impact caffeine’s ergogenic effects, with C allele carriers of CYP1A2 tending to exhibit smaller performance benefits [55, 56], potentially demonstrating an ergolytic effect [57]
Habitual caffeine intake exerted no influence on exercise performance, suggesting caffeine habituation had no detrimental impact on caffeine ergogenesis
Summary
Caffeine (1,3,7-trimethylxanthine) is a widely used drug, consumed daily by 80% of the world’s population [1]. The availability of caffeine-containing supplements, including tablets and energy drinks, has likely contributed to increased caffeine intakes in non-athletes and athletes [35] The majority of these caffeine sources include other compounds with potential positive effects, such as taurine in energy drinks (performance enhancement [36]), and both chlorogenic acid (health benefits [37]) and caffeic acid (promotion of postexercise glycogen synthesis [38]) in coffee. We explore whether, in habitual users, short-term pre-competition caffeine withdrawal restores caffeine’s ergogenic benefits Both are critical considerations for athletes seeking to develop caffeine supplementation strategies to augment performance. Does regular caffeine intake alter caffeine’s ergogenic properties at the time when an athlete may need them most—during competition—or does caffeine habituation not impact performance?
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