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The Question Of Caffeine
Nonprescription For Muscle Soreness
Indigestion
Ergolytic Drugs
Cautious Coffee Consumption
Are You Inhibiting Your Performance
THE QUESTION OF
CAFFEINE
Q: Although I train four days per week, I drink about three cups of
coffee a day. Is the caffeine counterproductive to my workouts?
A: Caffeinated coffees and sodas are very popular. Although the role
of caffeine as a stimulant in the morning is obvious, it's effect on
exercise is controversial. Researchers debate whether it is an
ergogenic aid that helps athletic performance.
For high-power activities like weightlifting the only benefit of
caffeine would be to wake you up for an early-morning workout. In
general, the substance has an insignificant effect on events that last
less than 10 minutes, but on endurance sports, such as running,
swimming, cycling and cross-country skiing, many believe that it has
an ergogenic effect.
Caffeine activates the enzyme lipoprotein lipase, which transforms
stored bodyfat into free fatty acids and glycerol. When you exercise
skeletal muscle, your body uses these free fatty acids as fuel and
spares muscle glycogen, which is the primary source of energy during
endurance performance. Because you have more available muscle
glycogen, your workout time to fatigue is increased.
Another plus for caffeinated beverages is their calorie count. Brewed
black coffee that contains no cream or sugar has no calories. A
caffeinated soda may have up to 200 calories for 12 ounces but no fat
calories, while a caffeinated diet soda has no calories at all.
The downside of caffeine is its diuretic effect; that is, it can cause
you to eliminate fluids. For this reason, excess coffee or soft drink
consumption can lead to dehydration. Caffeine inhibits the secretion
of a hormone called antidiuretic hormone, or ADH, that helps
facilitate fluid storage in the body. So, if you take in caffeine
drinks before a 10K race, you may have to stop at the bathroom more
frequently than you expect. Excessive caffeine consumption has also
been known to cause nausea and diarrhea.
Feb95IM
TOP
NONPRESCRIPTION
FOR MUSCLE SORENESS
Q: I often take ibuprofen after a hard workout. Is it safe?
A: After a hard workout in which you do a lot of negatives, it's often
hard to climb out of bed the next day. This condition is known as
delayed-onset muscle soreness, or DOMS, and it involves soreness,
weakness and stiffness in skeletal muscles experienced 24 to 48 hours
after intense lifting. Eccentric contractions, also known as negatives,
are the primary culprits. Although many people complain of muscle
soreness, research points to the musculotendinous junction, meaning the
area where muscles and tendons connect, as the primary site of injury
and repair.
One way to battle DOMS is to take ibuprofen in the recommended dosages
either before or after your strenuous workout. For example, if Monday is
a heavy lifting day, taking one tablet on Sunday night may mitigate your
postworkout pain. Taking ibuprofen within 24 hours after a workout has
proven to be equally effective for alleviating DOMS, as supported by the
results of a study done at the University of Texas at Galveston.
Intense lifting leads to muscle trauma, swelling and then repair. The
body's inflammatory response includes an influx of fluid into the
muscle, which causes a buildup of pressure. Neurons in the muscle's
connective tissue then relay this sensation to the brain, with the final
result being that you wake up the next day feeling stiff and sore.
Ibuprofen works on muscle and joint pain by inhibiting inflammatory
precursors-thus, lessening the soreness.
Chronic use of ibuprofen is harmful, however, because of its powerful
anti-inflammatory action. Still, infrequent use, either before or soon
after a strenuous activity, may decrease your DOMS.
Feb 1995 IM
TOP
Q: I often get indigestion, and I use a lot of antacid tablets.
Is it dangerous to eat so many?
A: As with all medication moderation is the key. It would be wise
for you to try to determine why you keep getting indigestion. The
possibilities include eating too much or too fast in one sitting, eating
extremely spicy foods, having an allergy or intolerance to a particular
food (such as lactose intolerance or an allergic reaction to shellfish)
and taking in an excessive amount of fiber, among other problems. Excess
use of antacids will decrease you body's absorption of calcium, vitamin
B-12 and iron due to alterations in your gastrointestinal pH. Refer to
the label of the antacid you use, and if you can't figure out the cause
of your symptoms, I recommend that you consult your physician.
Dec92IM
TOP
ERGOLYTIC DRUGS
We like to think of ourselves as invincible-never getting sick, having
allergies or becoming injured. If and when we do get ill, we are often
required to take medication to treat or relieve our symptoms. These
drugs, while offering that relief, often have negative effects on
performance. Other drugs, which are taken for recreational purposes
(i.e., alcohol or cocaine), also have adverse effects on performance.
Much has been written about ergogenic aids-substances and procedures
that supposedly furnish energy or otherwise enhance athletic activity.
Very little attention has been given to the list of substances athletes
use that are ergolytic, or "nonergogenic"-substances that do
not boost energy but rather sap it, do not enhance performance but
impair it.
Many athletes use certain substances because they assume that these
drugs benefit, or at least have no adverse effect on, performance. A
partial list of these ergolytic drugs includes alcohol, marijuana,
smokeless tobacco, cocaine and caffeine. Potentially ergolytic
medications that are commonly prescribed for illnesses include drugs
used to combat high blood pressure, allergies, diarrhea, constipation,
insomnia, coughs and glaucoma.
Alcohol has become associated with athletics. Many recreational athletes
drink both during and after participation. Marathon runners often
celebrate their conquests with a post-race beer, and skiers frequently
carry a flask of brandy on the slopes with them. It is also common to
smell the aroma of alcohol backstage at bodybuilding competitions, as
many bodybuilders feel that the alcohol increases their vascularity and
appearance. There is no scientific evidence to support these theories,
however.
The results from numerous studies confirm that alcohol is not ergogenic,
but rather ergolytic. Even small doses of alcohol reduce the contractile
force of the heart. In 1982 the American College of Sports Medicine
issued a position stand decrying the use of alcohol in sports. Alcohol
was shown to impair motor skills, including reaction time, balance,
accuracy, hand-eye coordination and complex coordination and complex
coordination. In addition, alcohol will not improve and may impair
strength, power, speed and both muscular and cardiovascular endurance.
Two other commonly used recreational drugs also have ergolytic actions
and decrease performance: cocaine and marijuana. Both increase the work
of the heart and decrease performance. Use of cocaine can also lead to
more serious complications, including heart attack, cardiac arrhythmia,
seizure, stroke and death.
Nicotine is an extremely addictive drug. The number of cigarette smokers
attests to this. Nicotine is also the key ingredient in smokeless
tobacco. In a 1988 report the Surgeon General stressed that nicotine is
a psychoactive drug that is as addictive as heroin or cocaine. While
nicotine will give athletes a "high" and they may feel more
alert, their performance decreases. Nicotine also causes negative
changes in cardiovascular performance that impair heart function.
As for medications, some, like blood pressure pills, diuretics and heart
medicines, seem obvious. Others, like eye drops and hypoglycemic agents,
are less obvious. It's been reported that several of the drugs used to
treat hypertension impair all-out performance, but the main culprits are
the beta-adrenergic blockers. Beta-blockade reduces the heart's ability
to respond to exercise stress. It can reduce maximal oxygen uptake by up
to 15 percent among elite athletes. The same thing happens to
performance capacity during exercise. Competitive athletes who have
hypertension should avoid beta-blockers and use another class of drugs,
calcium channel blockers, as these seem to have very little negative
effect on exercise capacity.
Diuretic use is common among certain groups of athletes prior to
competition. Wrestlers, bodybuilders boxers and jockeys use them to
"make weight," while football players, sprinters and other
drug-tested athletes use them in a vain attempt to flush anabolic
steroids from their bodies. Diuretics throw off the body's electrolyte
balance, making muscle cramps and reductions in strength and power
common end results. They also affect plasma volume and cardiovascular
performance. Diuretic use has played a role in the collapse of runners
during hot-weather races and in the hospitalization of a professional
bodybuilder during competition.
Other common drugs can impair athletic performance. Sleeping pills often
decrease the recuperative phase of sleep-the REM sleep-and they are
known to produce an enervating "hangover" the next morning.
Most antihistamines and tranquilizers can make athletes drowsy and
listless. Even caffeine, by creating peaks and troughs in alertness and
by disrupting sleep, can be ergolytic.
If you are unsure about a prescription medication or an over-the-counter
preparation, consult your physician or pharmacist as to the drug's
potential adverse effects on performance.
June91IM
TOP
CAUTIOUS COFFEE CONSUMPTION
Q: How harmful is coffee? Is it okay to drink one or two cups a day?
A: Coffee drunk in moderation appears to have few side effects. An
average cup of brewed coffee contains 130 milligrams of caffeine, while
a cup of instant coffee contains 75 milligrams. This compares to 45
milligrams for a cola and 25 milligrams for an ounce of chocolate.
Caffeine seems to be relatively harmless when used by healthy
(non-pregnant) adults in moderate doses, which means the equivalent of
two average-size cups of coffee a day. In larger amounts it can produce
reactions that are indistinguishable from some other drugs caffeine is
addictive in that the body adapts to its presence. It's generally
advisable to consume only moderate amounts of caffeine-containing foods
and beverages.
July92IM
TOP
ARE YOU INHIBITING YOUR PERFORMANCE
We like to think of ourselves as invincible-never getting sick, having
allergies or becoming injured. If and when we do get ill, we are often
required to take medication to treat or relieve our symptoms. These
drugs, while offering that relief, often have negative effects on
performance. Other drugs, which are taken for recreational purposes
(i.e., alcohol or cocaine), also have adverse effects on performance.
Much has been written about ergogenic aids-substances and procedures
that supposedly furnish energy or otherwise enhance athletic activity.
Very little attention has been given to the list of substances athletes
use that are ergolytic, or "nonergogenic"-substances that do
not boost energy but rather sap it, do not enhance performance but
impair it.
Many athletes use certain substances because they assume that these
drugs benefit, or at least have no adverse effect on, performance. A
partial list of these ergolytic drugs includes alcohol, marijuana,
smokeless tobacco, cocaine and caffeine. Potentially ergolytic
medications that are commonly prescribed for illnesses include drugs
used to combat high blood pressure, allergies, diarrhea, constipation,
insomnia, coughs and glaucoma.
Alcohol has become associated with athletics. Many recreational athletes
drink both during and after participation. Marathon runners often
celebrate their conquests with a post-race beer, and skiers frequently
carry a flask of brandy on the slopes with them. It is also common to
smell the aroma of alcohol backstage at bodybuilding competitions, as
many bodybuilders feel that the alcohol increases their vascularity and
appearance. There is no scientific evidence to support these theories,
however.
The results from numerous studies confirm that alcohol is not ergogenic,
but rather ergolytic. Even small doses of alcohol reduce the contractile
force of the heart. In 1982 the American College of Sports Medicine
issued a position stand decrying the use of alcohol in sports. Alcohol
was shown to impair motor skills, including reaction time, balance,
accuracy, hand-eye coordination and complex coordination and complex
coordination. In addition, alcohol will not improve and may impair
strength, power, speed and both muscular and cardiovascular endurance.
Two other commonly used recreational drugs also have ergolytic actions
and decrease performance: cocaine and marijuana. Both increase the work
of the heart and decrease performance. Use of cocaine can also lead to
more serious complications, including heart attack, cardiac arrhythmia,
seizure, stroke and death.
Nicotine is an extremely addictive drug. The number of cigarette smokers
attests to this. Nicotine is also the key ingredient in smokeless
tobacco. In a 1988 report the Surgeon General stressed that nicotine is
a psychoactive drug that is as addictive as heroin or cocaine. While
nicotine will give athletes a "high" and they may feel more
alert, their performance decreases. Nicotine also causes negative
changes in cardiovascular performance that impair heart function.
As for medications, some, like blood pressure pills, diuretics and heart
medicines, seem obvious. Others, like eye drops and hypoglycemic agents,
are less obvious. It's been reported that several of the drugs used to
treat hypertension impair all-out performance, but the main culprits are
the beta-adrenergic blockers. Beta-blockade reduces the heart's ability
to respond to exercise stress. It can reduce maximal oxygen uptake by up
to 15 percent among elite athletes. The same thing happens to
performance capacity during exercise. Competitive athletes who have
hypertension should avoid beta-blockers and use another class of drugs,
calcium channel blockers, as these seem to have very little negative
effect on exercise capacity.
Diuretic use is common among certain groups of athletes prior to
competition. Wrestlers, bodybuilders boxers and jockeys use them to
"make weight," while football players, sprinters and other
drug-tested athletes use them in a vain attempt to flush anabolic
steroids from their bodies. Diuretics throw off the body's electrolyte
balance, making muscle cramps and reductions in strength and power
common end results. They also affect plasma volume and cardiovascular
performance. Diuretic use has played a role in the collapse of runners
during hot-weather races and in the hospitalization of a professional
bodybuilder during competition.
Other common drugs can impair athletic performance. Sleeping pills often
decrease the recuperative phase of sleep-the REM sleep-and they are
known to produce an enervating "hangover" the next morning.
Most antihistamines and tranquilizers can make athletes drowsy and
listless. Even caffeine, by creating peaks and troughs in alertness and
by disrupting sleep, can be ergolytic.
If you are unsure about a prescription medication or an over-the-counter
preparation, consult your physician or pharmacist as to the drug's
potential adverse effects on performance.
June91IM
TOP
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