Health Benefits Of Caffeine On Your Fitness

Caffeine is the most widely used substance on the planet. Are there heath benefits from caffeine or is most of the world just poisoning themselves? Over the years, Energy Fiend has written about the the research that showed  the health benefits of caffeine. We’ve dug through our archives and put together a handy list for you.

Breathe Better - A pre-workout caffeine jolt reduces the severity of exercise-induced asthma symptoms, researchers from Indiana University at Bloomington report. Downing the equivalent of 2 cups of coffee an hour before a run was as effective as an inhaler at opening sufferers' airways. Plus, inhalers can become less effective over time. Ask your doctor about the Java alternative.

Get More From Your Workout -Downing coffee and toast between back-to-back workouts can keep you buzzing, a study from the Journal of Applied Physiology reports. Athletes who drank a caffeinated carbohydrate beverage after cycling had 66 percent more glycogen (an energy reserve) in their muscles than those who had a caffeine-free version. Replenishing glycogen helps you go farther and faster in your next session.

Be Less Sore - If muscle aches cramp your style, java may help, findings from the University of Georgia in Athens reveal. Women who had the caffeine equivalent of two cups of coffee the day after their quadriceps were stimulated (as if they'd done squats) felt 48 percent less leg pain within an hour. Caffeine may block the body's receptors for the ouch-causing chemical adenosine, scientists speculate.

Boost Your Cardio Session - Coffee may make your cardio class feel easier, according to findings from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Women given the caffeine equivalent of about two cups of joe an hour before cycling reported 40 percent less pain than those who went decaf. Caffeine seems to block neurotransmitters that signal discomfort during exercise, researchers say.

Fuel Your Body Better - A javalike jolt in your sports drink may help you get more from your workout, a study from the University of Birmingham in England finds. Cyclists swigging a caffeinated drink absorbed 23 percent more carbs from their quencher--getting a bigger dose of fuel--than those who went decaf. Mixing caffeine and carbs packs greater benefits than either alone, scientists note.

Improve Metabolism -  Caffeine speeds up metabolism and is actually the most important ingredient sin diet pills. What happens is that the caffeine breaks down fat, it releases the fatty acids which in turned are burned causing you to lose weight. As the fat is being burned the glucose and amino acids or blood sugars stay high longer. Low blood pressure is the same as being hungry. Don't take this to mean that if you drink a lot of soda with caffeine you will lose weight because it doesn't work like that.