Kroniskt koffeinbruk hos idrottare

[King Grub]

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.

1. As caffeine is widely consumed, with a number of social and health benefits outside of performance enhancement, a pragmatic approach is to understand that the majority of athletes will consume caffeine outside of deliberate pre-competition ingestion. Based on the evidence presented here, it appears moderate (~ 3 mg/kg) daily doses of caffeine will not be problematic for most athletes, most of the time.


2. As caffeine has a multitude of positive effects on training performance, it can—and perhaps should—be used either prior to or during training. For most sport types, if used prior to training, we would recommend consuming caffeine approximately 60 min prior to the onset of the first working set of the session. This time scale will differ between individuals, event types, and methods of caffeine ingestion, with caffeinated mouth rinses and gums often requiring far less time. If used during prolonged training sessions, there is evidence that later ingestion of caffeine, and at lower doses, may be effective.

3. For most athletes, the total of regular caffeine intake spread across the day, including the pre- and intra-training dose, should not exceed 3 mg/kg, as this will increase the required pre-competition caffeine dose substantially. Ingesting caffeine later within a training session often requires a lower dose, which may further guard against habituation.


4. Given the individual response to caffeine, both in terms of habituation and ergogenesis, athletes should experiment with various doses and timing strategies when using caffeine to enhance performance. As a broad start point, we recommend athletes who are not caffeine naïve, but also not high habitual users, utilize approximately 3 mg/kg approximately 60 min prior to a competitive bout, and then adjust accordingly. Alternatively, athletes may wish to estimate their daily caffeine intake (whilst understanding the methodological issues in doing so), and double this dose to obtain an idea of their pre-competition dose. For athletes competing in prolonged events, caffeine may need to be consumed closer to, or indeed within, the competitive bout in order to enhance performance.


5. There appears to be no benefit from, and potentially negative consequences of, a short-term, pre-competition caffeine withdrawal period. The impact of longer (> 7-day) withdrawal periods has not, to our knowledge, been explored in the context of performance.


6. The impact of pre-competition caffeine doses on a subsequent performance bout in a short time frame (such as in heats and finals of a track event separated by ~ 90 min) is currently poorly explored. Again, a pragmatic approach is perhaps required; if the athlete requires the performance benefits of caffeine to progress through the first event, then caffeine should be consumed at that time point. Athletes may then experiment with the optimal “top-up” dose to be consumed between heats and final.

What Should We Do About Habitual Caffeine Use in Athletes? Sports Medicine, 01 September 2018.

https://rd.springer.com/article/10.1...279-018-0980-7