One January 1, 2004, caffeine was removed from the World Anti-DopingAgency prohibited list, after being a “controlled to restricted drug” inthe world of athletic performance for years, and moved to the “monitoringlist.”

Prior to this change caffeine urine levels of greater than 12 microgramsper millimeter were considered illegal. The reason for this change, notesWADA, is really very practical. This old limit has always given caffeinea unique position as a “potentially” performance-enhancing drug, implyingthat higher doses of caffeine are required to improve performance. However,this is simply not true. This column summarizes the current research onthe performance enhancing effects of caffeine and important considerationsof caffeine use in view of its new legal status.

Caffeine is a drug that enjoys widespread use and a high level of socialacceptance. Caffeine containing foods commonly consumed are coffee, tea,cola drinks and chocolate. Cyclists can also obtain caffeine from sportsgels and the new “energy drinks.” Many cyclists would never miss theirdaily cup of java to jump-start their day, however, most cyclists who regularlyconsume caffeine beverages in their daily diet and prior to exercise, wouldnever come close to hitting the old legal limit for caffeine in a urinetest.

Research in well-trained athletes indicates that caffeine provides asmall enhancement to exercise endurance. Most importantly, the dose ofcaffeine required to affect performance is relatively low, making higheramounts unnecessary. Notes Lawrence Spriet, PhD, who has conducted severalcaffeine studies with colleagues at the University of Guelph in Ontario,

“The lowest dose reported to increase performance duringendurance running and cycling is 3 milligrams/kg body mass or 210 mg fora 70 kg person when taken an hour before exercise.”

One strong 10 to 12-ounce cup of coffee could contain this much caffeine.Other caffeine sources include eight ounces of tea (25 to 50 mg of caffeine),twelve ounces of cola (50 mg), and chocolate (15 to 50 mg).  In factthe amount of caffeine that you normally consume in your daily diet maybe all that you really need to improve performance.

Currently there is no evidence that higher amounts consumed before exerciseprovides an even greater performance benefit. Some research protocols hadpreviously used doses of 400 to 600 mg of caffeine, but athletes may experienceadverse side effects with these amounts. “Most people will feel littleat 3 mg per kg if they do take caffeine sometimes, and more effects at5 mg per kg, but side effects get problematic at 9 mg per kg body mass,”said Spriet. Side effects may include gastrointestinal disturbances, jitters,headaches, rapid heartbeat, and sleep disturbances. Essentially, cyclistsnever really needed to practice “controlled doping” in which they consumedthe highest dose of caffeine possible, while attempting to stay withinthe legal limits prior to the 2004 ban lift.

More recent data also indicates that an even lower dose of 1 to 1.5mg per kg of body mass taken during exercise can improve performance. Thisdata mimics the cycling practice of taking flat coke late in a race. Someof the “energy drinks” on the market may provide up to 80 mg of caffeine(though they are too concentrated in carbohydrate to be consumed duringexercise), and caffeinated gels range from 20 to 50 mg of caffeine perserving.

Metabolic clearance of caffeine varies widely between different athletes,and can also vary for the same athletes at different times. Female cyclistsshould also be aware that since they have higher estrogen levels than men,they probably do not metabolize caffeine as quickly as men and ingestionwill have a more prolonged impact. But remember, from a practical viewpoint,there really is no longer a distinction between social caffeine doses andthose that enhance performance.

In small amounts, caffeine poses no health disadvantages. Hopefullythe fact that caffeine is no longer on the banned list will drive homethe message that large amounts of caffeine provide no additional performanceadvantages to doses consumed in the everyday diet.  Previous “doping”levels (whether legal or not) are not necessary and could have negativeside effects. Notes Spriet, “The most important information is that caffeinewill not work for everyone and must be tried before competition.” Studiesdo indicate that there are responders and non-responders to caffeine. Youshould also keep in mind that the performance benefits of caffeine arestill not as high in magnitude to the beneficial effects of consuming fluidduring exercise to minimize dehydration.

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Monique Ryan, MS, RD is author of “CompleteGuide to Sports Nutrition,” and “SportsNutrition for Endurance Athletes,” from VeloPress. She is a regularcolumnist for Inside Triathlon and VeloNews magazines, andis founder of Personal Nutrition Designs, a nutrition consulting companybased in the Chicago area. Ryan regularly counsels athlete across NorthAmerica on performance and health-related nutrition concerns and offersservices through her website at www.moniqueryan.com.She is the nutritionist for the Performance Enhancement Teams forUSA Triathlon and the T-Mobile Women’s Cycling Team. She also consultedwith professional triathletes, the Saturn Cycling Team, and the Volvo-CannondaleMountain Bike Team. Ryan offers answers to reader’s questions twice monthly.Readers are welcome to send their questions directly to Ryan. The informationprovided in the “Feed Zone” does not constitute prescriptive nutritionaladvice. The information provided in this column is solely for general interestof the visitors to that site and is intended for educational purposes only.