Many supplements these days add caffeine to their carbohydrate supplements (such as gels and powders) to give endurance athlete’s additional benefits. So does this added caffeine actually give you any additional benefits or is it just hype? Studies show that indeed adding caffeine does give endurance athlete’s an added benefit for events lasting longer than 1 hour. Research has found that added carbohydrates delay the onset of fatigue and improve exercise performance, according to multiple studies published in the International Sport Nutrition & Exercise Metabolism journal (Conger et al, 2011).
Adding a carbohydrate supplement to your race does not make you faster, but does enable you to maintain physical output whereas those not consuming a carbohydrate tend to slow down. The recommended dose is recommended as up to 1 g/kg of body weight. This is on the high end of the spectrum. The law of specificity does play a role anytime you are using a nutritional supplement, so it is important to test your products before actual race days. Also, you should try and find out what supplements are being offered at your race, and test those out prior to your race so you don’t suffer unwanted gastrointestinal discomfort during your event.
There is some debate as to why caffeine adds benefit but the research does agree on its benefit. Original thought was that performance improvements were the result of a metabolic effect, specifically with an increase in fat oxidation reducing the reliance on muscle glycogen during exercise (Costill et al, 1978). Other’s believed that skeletal muscle force production is increased due to caffeine supplementation (Costill, Dalsky, Fink, 1978). As far as a benefit with a carb + caffeine versus just carbohydrate consumption demonstrates significant improvements in performance while other studies suggest no additional benefit when combined rather than taken separately. To get the best bang for your buck, try both methods of a combined supplement versus independent consumption and see what works best for you. In addition to adding caffeine, you will also see some gels (i.e. GU Roctane) have began adding amino acids in order to prevent muscle breakdown during long events (over 1 hour). The lesson here should be to never test these products on race day, but implement them into your normal training sessions and use what your stomach and body agrees with! Good luck in your training and racing!
References
Conger, S. A., Warren, G. L., Hardy, M. A., & Millard-Stafford, M. L. (2011). Does Caffeine Added to Carbohydrate Provide Additional Ergogenic Benefit for Endurance? International Journal of Sport Nutrition & Exercise Metabolism, 21(1), 71-84.
Costill, D.L., Dalsky, G.P., & Fink, W.J. (1978). Effects of caffeine ingestion on metabolism and exercise performance. Medicine and Science in Sports, 10(3), 155–158.
