Caffeine cuts post-workout pain: study

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UGA study finds that caffeine cuts post-workout pain by nearly 50 percent

Jan 9, 2007, 15:07

http://www.uga.edu/news/artman/publish/070109_CaffeineStudy.shtml

Athens, Ga. – Although it's too soon to recommend dropping by

Starbucks before hitting the gym, a new study suggests that caffeine

can help reduce the post-workout soreness that discourages some people

from exercising.

In a study to be published in the February issue of The Journal of

Pain, a team of University of Georgia researchers finds that moderate

doses of caffeine, roughly equivalent to two cups of coffee, cut

post-workout muscle pain by up to 48 percent in a small sample of

volunteers.

Lead author Victor Maridakis, a researcher in the department of

kinesiology at the UGA College of Education, said the findings may be

particularly relevant to people new to exercise, since they tend to

experience the most soreness.

" If you can use caffeine to reduce the pain, it may make it easier to

transition from that first week into a much longer exercise program, "

he said.

Maridakis and his colleagues studied nine female college students who

were not regular caffeine users and did not engage in regular

resistance training. One and two days after an exercise session that

caused moderate muscle soreness, the volunteers took either caffeine

or a placebo and performed two different quadriceps (thigh) exercises,

one designed to produce a maximal force, the other designed to

generate a sub-maximal force. Those that consumed caffeine one-hour

before the maximum force test had a 48 percent reduction in pain

compared to the placebo group, while those that took caffeine before

the sub-maximal test reported a 26 percent reduction in pain.

Caffeine has long been known to increase alertness and endurance, and

a 2003 study led by UGA professor O'Connor found that caffeine

reduces thigh pain during moderate-intensity cycling. O'Connor, who

along with professors McCully and the late Dudley

co-authored the current study, explained that caffeine likely works by

blocking the body's receptors for adenosine, a chemical released in

response to inflammation.

Despite the positive findings in the study, the researchers say there

are some caveats. First, the results may not be applicable to regular

caffeine users, since they may be less sensitive to caffeine's effect.

The researchers chose to study women to get a definitive answer in at

least one sex, but men may respond differently to caffeine. And the

small sample size of nine volunteers means that the study will have to

be replicated with a larger study.

O'Connor said that despite these limitations, caffeine appears to be

more effective in relieving post-workout muscle pain than several

commonly used drugs. Previous studies have found that the pain

reliever naproxen (the active ingredient in Aleve) produced a 30

percent reduction in soreness. Aspirin produced a 25 percent

reduction, and ibuprofen has produced inconsistent results.

" A lot of times what people use for muscle pain is aspirin or

ibuprofen, but caffeine seems to work better than those drugs, at

least among women whose daily caffeine consumption is low, " O'Connor

said.

Still, the researchers recommend that people use caution when using

caffeine before a workout. For some people, too much caffeine can

produce side effects such as jitteriness, heart palpitations and sleep

disturbances.

" It can reduce pain, " Maridakis said, " but you have to apply some

common sense and not go overboard. "

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Krista -Dixon

Toronto, ON

kristascottdixon@...