Caffeine and Exercise: What Next?
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REVIEW ARTICLE
Caffeine and Exercise: What Next? Craig Pickering1,2 · Jozo Grgic3
© The Author(s) 2019
Abstract Caffeine is a widely utilized performance-enhancing supplement used by athletes and non-athletes alike. In recent years, a number of meta-analyses have demonstrated that caffeine’s ergogenic effects on exercise performance are well-established and well-replicated, appearing consistent across a broad range of exercise modalities. As such, it is clear that caffeine is an ergogenic aid—but can we further explore the context of this ergogenic aid in order to better inform practice? We propose that future research should aim to better understand the nuances of caffeine use within sport and exercise. Here, we propose a number of areas for exploration within future caffeine research. These include an understanding of the effects of training status, habitual caffeine use, time of day, age, and sex on caffeine ergogenicity, as well as further insight into the modifying effects of genotype. We also propose that a better understanding of the wider, non-direct effects of caffeine on exercise, such as how it modifies sleep, anxiety, and post-exercise recovery, will ensure athletes can maximize the performance benefits of caffeine supplementation during both training and competition. Whilst not exhaustive, we hope that the questions provided within this manuscript will prompt researchers to explore areas with the potential to have a large impact on caffeine use in the future. Key Points Caffeine is a well-replicated performance-enhancing supplement, with these effects established at metaanalysis level; as such, further research exploring the straightforward ergogenic effects of caffeine is unlikely to alter practice. However, there are many unanswered questions with regard to the use of caffeine in sport which represent promising avenues to enhance our understanding and provide some nuance into the use of caffeine around exercise. These unanswered questions include whether the ergogenic effects of caffeine alter with sex, time of day, genotype, habitual use, and training status, and there is a need for a greater understanding of the effects of caffeine on performance anxiety and post-exercise recovery. * Craig Pickering [email protected] 1
Institute of Coaching and Performance, School of Sport and Wellbeing, University of Central Lancashire, Fylde Road, Preston PR1 2HE, UK
2
The Prenetics DNAFit Research Centre, London, UK
3
Institute for Health and Sport (IHES), Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia
1 Introduction Caffeine (1,3,7-trimethylxanthine) is a popular ergogenic aid, widely used by athletes at all levels [1, 2]. The performance-enhancing effects of caffeine have been studied for over 100 years, with the first known study on the subject published in 1907 [3]. Since these early studies, interest in caffeine has developed, to the point that it is now one of the most well-established ergogenic aids, with performance-enhancing effects across a wide range of exercise modalities [4]. Several
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