In most of sports' recent doping scandals, there's one thing no one questions: the substances used. But next month--on sports' biggest stage--one known performance-enhancing drug will be allowed. In fact, you may have used it to boost your own performance as recently as this morning.
It's caffeine, and science supports its use as an ergogenic aid--in other words, a substance that enhances speed and stamina. Though Olympic officials once placed limits on its consumption, since 2004 athletes have been able to freely sip coffee or energy drinks, take caffeine pills, or chew caffeinated gum in search of that extra edge.
And recent research suggests up to three-fourths of the world's elite athletes do just that. Take now-retired Scottish cyclist Chris Hoy, a six-time gold medalist. He's so committed to his caffeine regimen that he reportedly lugged his own coffee machine and grinder to every competition, including the 2012 London Games.
HOW CAFFEINE WORKS
If you drink coffee, you're no stranger to caffeine's perks. The drug provides basically the same boost for athletes as it does for the office drone--delaying feelings of fatigue by blocking receptors for a sleep-related neurotransmitter called adenosine, says Louise Burke, Ph.D., head of sports nutrition at the Australian Institute of Sport and author of the book Caffeine for Sports Performance.
This means you can keep going for longer before you get tired, Burke says--whether you're driving a long-haul truck, prepping a PowerPoint, or going for the gold in the new Olympic sport, slopestyle.
THE BEGINNINGS OF THE BAN
Because of these benefits, Olympic officials first limited caffeine use in 1984, for the Los Angeles Summer Games. From then until 2004, athletes could be thrown out of competition if their urine contained more than 12 micrograms per milliliter of caffeine. The problem: These tests aren't precise--the amount of caffeine you consume that passes into your urine varies between individuals, ranging from 1 to 3 percent, Burke says. But you could probably take in about 9 milligrams (mg) per kilogram and still come in under this level, says Lawrence Spriet, Ph.D., a researcher at University of Guelph. If you're a 141-pound speedskater like J.R. Celski that'd be 576 mg, or about four Starbucks lattes.
In the 1980s, experts thought athletes required such mega-doses of caffeine to see benefits. But recent research shows about the amount in a regular cup of coffee can do the trick, says Haemi Choi, M.D., a sports medicine specialist and a family physician at Loyola University Health System in Illinois. Though everyone responds differently, this amount has been shown to aid short-term, intense activities and improve endurance athletes' times by up to 3 percent--a margin that could certainly matter in Olympic-caliber competition, Burke says. But it isn't huge--it's about the same gain a marathon runner could expect from consuming carbohydrates during the race, she says. For that reason, it's often one small part of an athlete's overall strategy for doing his or her best, Spriet explains.
LIFTING THE RESTRICTION
Evolving science has revealed that performance-enhancing doses of caffeine were practically indistinguishable from everyday use--that's why the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) moved caffeine off the list of prohibited substances. This list, reviewed annually, includes substances that enhance performance, present a health risk to the athlete, and "violate the spirit of sport," the code specifies.
Some would argue that caffeine meets these criteria, and some agencies--including the NCAA--still limit caffeine use. Besides concerns about unfair advantages, they cite caffeine's health risks at high doses, including gastrointestinal troubles, high blood pressure, anxiety, and irregular heartbeats that can eventually lead to death, Dr. Choi says.
But caffeine has obvious key differences from other banned drugs. For one, it's socially acceptable, Dr. Choi says. Plus, it poses far less long-term risk at effective doses than prohibited drugs like steroids and blood doping chemical, Spriet says. So for Olympic athletes, caffeine remains on the "monitoring list" rather than the "prohibited list." This means that although athletes are still often tested for it in competition, they no longer face penalties for consuming it.
Fears that the lifted ban would trigger an explosion of misuse haven't materialized, either, although test results do suggest its consumption is on the rise, according to WADA spokesperson Ben Nichols. Still, the experts we consulted don't believe WADA will reinstitute a ban or limit anytime soon. "WADA has much bigger fish to fry with compounds that should be illegal as they can hurt people in the long run," Spriet says.
GET A SAFE JOLT
By now, every athlete competing in the Winter Games has worked out a plan with coaches and nutritionists about whether--and how--to use caffeine, Spriet says. They're likely following these guidelines, which can also help you maximize your own caffeine habit.
Practice first. Caffeine affects everyone differently. Athletes fine-tune their doses and timing in training before using caffeine during high-stakes competition, Spriet says.
Time it right. Caffeine works best about an hour before a performance, Dr. Choi says. For later events, Burke advises athletes to adjust their regular consumption. In other words, instead of drinking a second cup of coffee in the afternoon, they should delay their morning dose so they don't overdo it.
Don't expect a miracle. "I work with hockey players and tell them it is just one additional thing that may allow the player to be the best they can be," Spriet says. In other words, it's no substitute for proper training, equipment, nutrition, and hydration.
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