Summary of a review article looking at published meta-analysis on effect of caffeine on exercise performance.
Who
Healthy persons of any age or sex.
Design
Umbrella review of 21 meta-analysis (11 reviews).
Outcome measures/tests
Exercise performance: maximal speed during running, cycling or rowing, aerobic endurance, 30s Wingate test, isokinetic strength assessment, 1RM, vertical jump, and muscular endurance.
Main results
- In the 21 meta-analyses, the prevalence of male-only studies ranged from 72-100%. Not many studies have tested the effect of caffeine on women.
- A caffeine dose of 6mg per kg was most commonly used.
- Most studies did not use coffee but caffeine powder, energy drinks, bars, or gels. However, the authors calculated that two cups of coffee 60 minutes before the exercise could have an ergogenic effect on many individuals.
Task/measure
aerobic endurance
muscular endurance
muscle strength
aerobic power
vertical jump height
speed during running, cycling or rowing
short-time high-intensity exercise
Number of meta-analyses
Task/measure
aerobic endurance
5
muscular endurance
2
muscle strength
4
aerobic power
3
vertical jump height
1
speed during running, cycling or rowing
1
short-time high-intensity exercise
1
Reported ergogenic* effect
Task/measure
aerobic endurance
3
muscular endurance
2
muscle strength
3
aerobic power
1
vertical jump height
1
speed during running, cycling or rowing
1
short-time high-intensity exercise
1
Take home message
For a clinician & coach
Caffeine had an enhancing effect on acute physical performance in aerobic endurance, muscle endurance, muscle strength, and aerobic power.
For a parent
Caffeine ingestion may increase physical performance within a few hours.
For an athlete
Caffeine ingestion may increase physical performance within a few hours.
Original article
Grgic J, Grgic I, Pickering C, Schoenfeld BJ, Bishop DJ, Pedisic Z. Wake up and smell the coffee: Caffeine supplementation and exercise performance—An umbrella review of 21 published meta-analyses. British journal of sports medicine. 2020 Jun 1;54(11):681-8.