Drinking caffeine while eating carbohydrates helps athletes recover more quickly from strenuous exercise, researchers at RMIT University in Melbourne have discovered. The world-first results, published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, showed glycogen - the main fuel source for muscles - is replenished faster when athletes consume both caffeine and carbohydrates after exercising.

Senior author Professor John Hawley said the research found athletes who added caffeine to their post-exercise meal had 66% more glycogen in their muscles than those who ate only carbohydrates.

"If you have 66% more fuel for the next day's training or competition, there's no question you'll be able to go further and faster," said Hawley, head of RMIT's exercise metabolism group. "While it has been established that carbohydrates and caffeine improve a variety of athletic performances, this is the first study that has revealed combining caffeine with carbohydrates after you've exercised can actually help your muscles refuel more rapidly."

The study involved four assessment trials with seven endurance cyclists who were given either a plain carbohydrate drink or one with caffeine (8mg per kilogram of body weight or the equivalent of 5-6 strong cups of coffee).

The cyclists rode a cycle ergometer until exhaustion and four hours later, those who had consumed the drink containing caffeine had 66% higher glycogen levels in their muscles compared with those who had the carbohydrate-only drink.

Hawley said the research could help elite sportspeople looking for an edge over their competitors. "But because caffeine can potentially have negative effects - such as disturbing sleep or causing the jitters - athletes who want to incorporate it into their recovery routines should experiment and see what works for them well before any serious competitions," he said.


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