The Effect of Caffeine on Sports Performance - Essay Example

The Effect of Caffeine on Sports Performance Introduction Caffeine, a mild stimulant that exits naturally in over sixtydifferent plant species, mostly occurs in the leaves, stems, seeds, or roots of these plants. Caffeine as a drug falls under the class of methyl xanthine family that consists of xanthine molecule. Moreover, the drug has close to three methyl molecules in its entire composition. Many consumer products available in the market contain caffeine. These products include sodas, tea, and coffee as a drink. The most common is coffee which many people serve in their homes. There are other uses of caffeine apart from making the regular consumer drinks. Some types of medication such as diuretics and pain relievers also contain caffeine. Caffeine is one of the most inexpensive drugs around the people, commonly available as over the counter drugs. Doctors attribute increased levels of caffeine consumption to addiction. Indeed, due to its availability, many people are addicted to the drug, referred to as the cheapest drug ever known to man. Various factors influence the effect of caffeine in a person. They are the individual person, the amount of caffeine ingested into the body, the frequency of consumption, and an individual’s level of metabolism. Despite this, however, many people frequently find caffeine to be a useful stimulant that increases an individual’s level of concentration, awareness, and physical performance. The ability of caffeine to enhance physical performance makes drinks containing caffeine highly preferred by athletes. There are however, controversies surrounding the use of caffeine by athletes and other sports people as this essay establishes. How Caffeine Helps To Increase Sports Performance Different sports and athletic people find different uses of caffeine as a performance-enhancing agent (Goldstein et al., 4). Although conclusive studies on the contribution of caffeine in sports are still underway, many athletes believe that caffeine enhances their physical as well as mental performance levels. Notably, many sports people, and especially athletes, footballers, and cyclers regularly use caffeine to help them increase the level of stamina they require to complete their races. In an experiment conducted to determine the effects of caffeine on athletes, the results revealed that caffeine indeed helps in enhancing athlete’s as well as sports peoples’ performance, though conclusions were not made on the reasons for this (Goldstein et al., 4). The experiment involved comparing six regular users of caffeine against athletes on a placebo pill. The introduction of these pills to the athletes took place approximately an hour before they went to training. The results from the study revealed that athletes used to the caffeine performed better and more effectively in comparison to those using the placebo pills. Results of this study revealed the importance of caffeine in enduring highly demanding sports such as cycling, running, and soccer. Physical stamina characterizes these sports, making the participants’ body demand high energy levels in a short period. The ability of caffeine to improve the performance of these sports people makes it a highly preferred drug and performance enhancer. Effects of caffeine significantly feature even in sports that require quick burst of energy such as splinting and swimming. In a recent review that included 33 trials that required the subjects to either run, cycle or row, outcomes have established that sports people used to having caffeine regularly register faster speeds than those who did not. Goldstein et al. (3) observe from a recent report, that there is a cause and effect relationship between caffeine intake and increased endurance levels in athletes, making them perform better than when performing naturally. Negatively though, some sports people have reported increased levels of fatigue after using caffeine during their training or competition. Apart from the ability of caffeine to enhance physical ability of athletes, it also enhances their psychological ability, improving their thinking capacity and reasoning ability. This is particularly so since it stimulates their central nervous system, and prompts their brains to race faster. Not only do sports require physical ability and stamina, they also demand mental calculation and high cognitive ability. As such, caffeine stimulates the central nervous system at very high levels. This alternatively affects parts of the body such as the medulla and the cortex. Additionally, it has the ability to reach band act on the spinal cord, a body part that is highly sensitive to any form of reaction. Cortex helps in clearing the mind for better thoughts and high reasoning. Moreover, cortex helps in reducing high levels of fatigue in the body of an athlete. The effect of this is that it improves an athlete’s concentration for a period of 1 to 3 hours. Many sports require quick and fast decisions, a factor that can only be possible with the high thinking capacity and high levels of reasoning. Coffee, specifically, contains ergogenic acid, which is a substance that helps to improve a person’s ability and capacity to work or exercise. It helps athletes to reduce the time taken while running, cycling or even row a certain distance. Exercising and sports are energy intensive activities that release huge amounts of acid in the body causing muscle pain. Caffeine neutralizes the effects of this acid and subsequently reduces its effects on the muscles, consequently relaxing them. Although there are beliefs that caffeine improves the performance of athletes, especially in a number of short-term anaerobic activities that require a high intensity exercise in specific groups, its overall effects in short term, high intensive activities remains unconfirmed. The effect of caffeine in the body takes its way leading to the increased level of adrenaline production in the body. Subsequently, the adrenaline pushes the body to produce energy and improve blood flow both in the muscles and in the heart. There are contradicting results from various studies carried out on the effects of caffeine on positive effects of caffeine on short-term high intensity exercises. These effects relate directly to the failure of these studies to establish the relationship between cause and effect of caffeine in athletes. These studies, however, agree that caffeine has a potential of improving performance in certain individuals and leaves out others. According to Cox (993), studies on high intensity and anaerobic exercises have established that caffeine has higher effects on certain groups of people than others, subsequently enhancing their performance levels more then others. Particularly, these are the individuals involved in power-based sports and team sports. Support to this argument points at the evidence that proves the existence of a positive effect of caffeine on the people taking part in sports that require intermittent bouts of activity. The Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee (Coffee & Health Topics Sports Performance 3) argues that in athletics, caffeine potentially improves the performance of players due to its ability to increase their adrenaline. In addition to its supplement in the carbohydrates in the body, caffeine leads to the increased speed in the sport, making the players more efficient in sprinting, a tactic that is very important in the game for a team to perform well. In sports, the effects of caffeine on either an athlete or a sportsman are limited by time. In the first round, caffeine performed exemplary well. However, in the subsequent trials and exercises, studies reveal that it may either fail or yield good results. Theories on the Working of Caffeine in the Body There are three theories in support of the effects of caffeine on the performance of athletes. The first theory bases its argument on the ability of caffeine to burn more of fats, but less of carbohydrates. Biology points out that glycogen is the principle fuel for the muscles. However, fat is the most abundant source of body energy. When an athlete takes in caffeine, it enters the body, and forces the muscles to utilize as much fat as possible when in action. The effect of this is that it delays the immediate depletion of glycogen in the body. Further, studies point out that in the first fifteen minutes of exercise, caffeine potential reduces the loss of glycogen by up to fifty per cent. After this, the body can comfortably use the rest of the stored glycerine without exhaustion, which depletion in normal cases happens at a very early stage. Other studies sought to provide the relationship between caffeine and its ergogenic aid before and after exercise. The exercise involved a two-hour endurance and established that 250mg of caffeine when taken one hour before the exercise and an extra 250 mg taken after the exercise, all divided in doses divided at an interval of fifteen minutes during the exercise lead to a higher output. Results of the study indicated a 7-percentage increase in the total output in various employees. Therefore, taking in caffeine before and during vigorous exercise increases the total output. The second theory involves the ability of caffeine to enhance mental ability of an athlete. Caffeine as a substance has a significant effect on the central nervous system of the body. Caffeine quickens the reaction of the body and increases the mental awareness of the body by stopping an action of any substance causing neuronal firing (Hogervorst et al. 1843). Moreover, caffeine potentially increases the power of muscle contractions. Due to the transfer of calcium, sodium, and potassium in the body cells, the permeability of the cell membrane increases (Hogervorst at al. 1845). As a result, there are increased levels of muscle contractions. However, effects and results of these theories are subject to various factors. They do not work in a similar manner among all the employees. Controversies Surrounding the Use of Caffeine in Athletics Many sports and athletics prohibit the use of caffeine, terming it as a drug. The Olympics specifically disqualify any athlete found to use caffeine as a performance-enhancing element. The athletics committee classifies caffeine as a very serious offense and a harmful drug as the steroids and cocaine. Anti-doping agencies constantly run tests on athletes to determine their level of caffeine in the body. With the level of caffeine exceeding a certain level, an athlete automatically becomes dishonest and may face serious fines such as a ban from participating in any international games or all titles given to him revoked. If the urinary test of an athlete contains over 12 mg/litre, which is equivalent to eight cups of coffee, that athlete becomes absolutely dishonest. The most cited reason for these strict rules is that caffeine gives certain individual a competitive advantage over their counterparts, therefore, winning illegitimately. Sarcastically, however, over 75% of the world’s population consume caffeine. Side Effects of the Use of Caffeine Caffeine has side effects problems to both moderate and regular users. For a long time, many studies link a high consumption of caffeine to heart diseases as well as cancer. These serious diseases are fatal to a human being whenever they are diagnosed. Other studies link high levels of consumption of caffeine to increase levels of blood pressure. Notably, however, there are varying outcomes from results conducted on these factors. Extensive tests on athletes using caffeine have set out to settle these claims. Currently, no evidence links caffeine to cancer, cardiovascular disease or high blood pressure. However, this is not to say that caffeine has no effects on its users. It has a myriad of side effects to both athletes and common people. These side effects include sleep deprivation, nausea, cramping, anxiety, fatigue, headaches as well as gastrointestinal instability. For athletes, caffeine is more disastrous, with its side effects on them affecting their performance significantly. Threats posed by any of these problems during a competition can affect the athlete’s performance adversely. Again, an athlete risks a ban and an exclusion from any games if found using caffeine to enhance the performance. It is recommended that an athlete should weigh the chances before using any form of performance enhancers. Diuretic Effects of Caffeine Studies and theories link a high consumption of caffeine to main changes in kidneys, a condition known as a diuretic effect. Not only does caffeine increase blood flow in the kidneys, it also inhibits the reabsorption of sodium and water. It is believed to be responsible for weakening of the detrusor muscles of the bladder, which provokes the need for urination in a person, creating a myriad of problems to an athlete taking part in a long term endurance activity (McDaniel et al., 34). Potentially, this reduces the ability of an athlete to perform exemplary. On the other hand, the increased need for urination causes other problems such as dehydration and abdominal cramping. However, those athletes who consume considerably low amounts of caffeine have no diuretic effects on their bodies. How Athletes Can Effectively Benefit from the Use of Caffeine Sokmen et al. (982) assert that no single doctor recommends the use of caffeine by an athlete. However, there are the astute believers who argue that caffeine can enhance their performance levels in their endurance activities. For such athletes, the most appropriate recommendation is to refrain from taking any drink containing caffeine for a period of not less than 3-4 days before the event. This gives time for tolerance levels in the body to decrease, therefore, increasing the body’s susceptibility to caffeine when consumed. It is also advisable for athletes to know their caffeine limits. Any person who has not used caffeine before should refrain from using it for the first time in a competitive event. The best way to measure a person’s level of caffeine in the body is by taking it a couple of times during training. This helps an athlete to be fully aware of their caffeine limits well enough. Conclusion In conclusion, it is true that the use of caffeine as a form of ergogenic acid increases the physical endurance. However, it has a number of disadvantages. Precautions taken, therefore, should avoid the side effects associated with the use of caffeine. In the short run however, endurance appears to have no or minimal endurance effects on the athlete. Although many studies and experiments seem to back this statement, a lot of athletes avoid the use of caffeine due to personal reasons. However, the biggest consideration to those that may have the thoughts of using caffeine to enhance their performance is the rules of the International Olympic Committee that treats caffeine as any other form of a hard drug and prohibits it. The biggest question is whether caffeine is advantageous or disadvantageous to its users. This should act as the guiding factor to any athlete who may have any thoughts of using it to enhance their performance levels. Although no serious diseases are associated with caffeine as a drug, the side effects of caffeine on an athlete are bad enough to cause negative effects among the athletes. Works Cited Cox Gregory, R., Ben Desbrow, Paul G. Montgomery, Megan E. Anderson, Clinton R., Bruce, Theodore A. Macrides, David T. Martin, Angela Moquin, Alan Roberts, John A. Hawley, and Louise M. Burke. “Effect of Different Protocols of Caffeine Intake on Metabolism and Endurance Performance.” Journal of Applied Physiology (2002): 990–999. Print. Goldstein, Erica R., Tim Ziegenfuss, Doug Kalman, Richard Kreider, Bill Campbell, Colin Wilborn, Lem Taylor, Darryn Willoughby, Jeff Stout, B. Sue Graves, Robert Wildman, John L. Ivy, Marie Spano, Abbie Smith, and Jose Antonio. “International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: Caffeine and Performance.” Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (2010): 1-15. Print. Hogervorst, Eef, Stephan Bandelo, Schmitt Jeroen, Jentjens Roy, Marta Oliveira, Judith Allgrove, Tom Carter, and Michael Gleeson. “Caffeine Improves Physical And Cognitive Performance during Exhaustive Exercise.” The American College of Sports Medicine (2008): 1841-1851. Print. McDaniel, Larry W., et al. "The Effects of Caffeine on Athletic Performance." College Teaching Methods & Styles Journal 6.1 (2010): 33-37. Print. Sokmen, Bulent., Lawrence E. Armstrong, William J. Kraemer, Douglas J. Casa, Joao C. Dias, Daniel A. Judelson, and Carl M. Maresh. “Caffeine Use in Sports: Considerations For The Athlete.” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 22.3 (2008): 978–986. Print. “Coffee & Health Topics Sports Performance.” The Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee. (2012): 1-5. Print. Read More