Coffee

Cara looking strong

Americans drink 400 million cups of coffee per day, and my grossly subjective over-assumption is that CrossFit athletes make up at least half of that consumption. While some do opt for tea or non caffeinated beverages, my guess is they are the minority. Why do so many of us who follow Zone and/or Paleo diets, which discourage or prohibit caffeine, make an exception for coffee? Because it can increase your Fran time! Or if your me, it's because it's my personal form of crack (besides the Twilight books and chocolate).

Although there are many studies suggesting that coffee inhibits nutrient absorption, increases stress, spikes blood sugar, increases insulin resistance, raises risk for cardiovascular disease, arthritis and spontaneous combustion, there is no denying it's effect on athletic performance, especially after reading this article in The New York Times. "Caffeine increases the power output of muscles by releasing calcium that is stored in muscle. The effect can enable athletes to keep going longer or to go faster in the same length of time. Caffeine also affects the brain’s sensation of exhaustion, that feeling that it’s time to stop, you can’t go on any more. That may be one way it improves endurance."

When it comes to coffee or caffeine does the good outweigh the bad, or is it vice versa?

-Hannah

Workout:
Run 5k

Comments

[Hollis]

Coffee does a body good.

[Jon]

Yes espresso is the nectar of the gods

[olivia]

Y'all can keep your java (I'm a tea drinker myself), but a quick look through the actual science lit reveals that its not as clear-cut as the NYT would like to report. The science paper cited by the article cites 3mg/kg of body weight as "moderate" caffeine intake, but for me that amount would translate into 3 cups of coffee. Not sure I'd like to chug that amount of joe before doing the filthy fifty! Several military studies also found that a dose of 200-300 mg of caffeine was needed (again, this was straight-up synthetic stuff, not coffee) before mental or physical gains were seen. That is at least 4 cups of coffee. Also, if you're a regular coffee drinker, you'll get the mental boost but not the physical boost (they only saw physical gains in the people who were not regularly consumers of caffeine).

Also read one paper that found that, while caffeine aids in mental and physical performance, "The ingestion of caffeine as coffee appears to be ineffective compared to doping with pure caffeine." - Graham, T. E. (2001). Caffeine and exercise: metabolism, endurance, and performance. Sports Medicine, 31, 785-807.

My lay-person's opinion is that caffeine can offer short-term boosts, but, for that long-term health and fitness that we all talk about in CF, adequate sleep is king.

PS - I think I may have taken this post a little too seriously -- sorry! Totally brought out the skeptical science geek within. :)

[Arvind Leo Pereira]

coffee inhibits nutrient absorption, does that mean, people who are trying to loose weight should have coffee.

doesn't that help?

[william]

cara is gorgeous