PRAGUE, Czech Republic—Athletes who drink large amounts of coffee or tea may be able to increase muscle power and endurance by 6 percent because caffeine in the bloodstream act as receptors on skeletal muscle, making the body temporarily more powerful, according to new research that will be presented next week at the Society for Experimental Biology Meeting in Prague.
As reported by Fox News, the researchers believe their findings could one day impact the sports world even though caffeine was removed from the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) banned substance list in 2004.
“A very high dosage of caffeine, most likely achieved via tablets, powder or a concentrated liquid, is feasible and might prove attractive to a number of athletes wishing to improve their athletic performance,” noted Dr. Rob James, lead researcher at Coventry University. “A small increase in performance via caffeine could mean the difference between a gold medal in the Olympics and an also-ran.”
