Coffee and carbs improve exhausted muscles faster in athletes

William Atkins
Friday, 11 July 2008 22:32

Science - Health

The researchers reported that muscle glycogen levels were similar at the subjects’ exhaustion point (immediately after exercise was stopped).

After one hour of recovery, the glycogen levels of both groups were still similar.

However, after four hours of recovery the subjects that ingested caffeine and carbohydrates resulted in higher glycogen levels than the subjects that ingested caffeine-only.

In other words, the subjects consuming large amount of caffeine along with carbohydrates had quicker and better recovery times that the subjects consuming carbohydrates-only.

In fact, the overall rate of re-synthesis for the four-hour recovery period was 66% higher in the caffeine-carbohydrate subjects when compared with to carbohydrate-only subjects.

The results were the same in the first session when compared with the results from the second session (when drinks were reversed in subjects).

They concluded in their abstract, “We provide the first evidence that in trained subjects, the coingestion of large amounts of caffeine with carbohydrate has an additive effect on rates on post-exercise muscle glycogen accumulation compared to when carbohydrate alone is consumed.”

Glycogen is known to be the muscle’s primary fuel source during exercise. It is now known to be replenished more rapidly when athletes ingest both carbohydrate and caffeine (which is commonly found in coffee, tea, chocolate, and cola drinks) following exhaustive exercise.

 Hawley states, “If you have 66 per cent more fuel for the next day's training or competition, there is absolutely no question you will go farther or faster.” [American Physiological Society: “Post-Exercise Caffeine Helps Muscles Refuel”]

The researchers are now pursuing a similar experiment where lower levels of caffeine will be used to see if the same results can be produced. This action is being taken because large amounts of caffeine taken all at once can have adverse side effects such as sleeplessness and anxiousness.

Hawley’s team in this research study included: David J. Pedersen (Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia), Matthew J. Watt (St. Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research, Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia); and Sarah J. Lessard, Vernon G. Coffey, Emmanual G. Churchley, Andrew M. Wooton, and They Ng (all from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University, Burndoora, Victoria, Australia).