Researchers tested the effect of caffeine on both power output and endurance of specific muscles in mice, under both maximal and sub-maximal activities. They found that the blood does have a finite ability to absorb caffeine and a concentration level of 70 micro-Mols per liter is the absolute upper limit, with the researchers saying that “concentrations of 20-50 micro-Mols per liter are not unusual in people with high caffeine intakes."
It is at the 70 micro-Mol level that the maximum performance was achieved in the mice. The caffeine can be ingested in liquid, powder or tablet form and is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream. Once there, it affects skeletal muscle, providing temporary increases in power.
“A very high dosage of caffeine…might prove attractive to a number of athletes wishing to improve their athletic performance,” said Dr. Rob James, lead researcher at Coventry University, in central England.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) removed caffeine from the banned substance list in 2004. In 2006, WADA announced that caffeine, along with pseudoephedrine, was put on the monitoring program, and would be placed under heightened scrutiny for further tracking of trends in use and possible abuse for future List consideration.
The study results were announced today at the Society for Experimental Biology Annual Meeting in Prague.
