Dr. Mirken: Caffeine and Hot Weather Exercise at Her Active Life

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Dr. Mirken: Caffeine and Hot Weather Exercise

Posted July 11, 2008 at 01:00 PM by Martha Jones

Section: Her Fitness

ENTER IMAGE NAME BETWEEN QUOTES - USE ENGLISH NOT FILE NAMING STRUCTURE A study from Toledo, Spain shows that giving caffeine to dehydrated bicycle racers helps them ride faster, longer and with more power in hot weather (Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, July 2008). When combined with water and carbohydrates, caffeine ingestion increases the force of muscular contractions which helps them to pedal with more power. Almost all professional bicycle riders take caffeine is some form because they know it helps them to ride faster.

Another recent study from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign shows that caffeine helps to reduce muscle pain in riders pedaling as hard and as long as they can (International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, May 2008). Other studies have shown that caffeine is a diuretic only when a person is at rest, not during exercise.

These reported benefits of caffeine for cyclists can be expected to apply to other sports as well. However, people with heart damage should be cautious about taking caffeine before exercising. It is a stimulant and may increase risk of irregular heart beats.

This post is written by Dr. Gabe Mirkin, M.D. and used with permission. Dr. Mirkin is board certified in Sports Medicine and has practiced for over 40 years. He has completed more than 40 marathons and was a talk show host of a nationally-syndicated radio program for about 25 years. For more articles by Dr. Mirkin, click here.

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37 Responses to “Dr. Mirken: Caffeine and Hot Weather Exercise” (Leave a reply)

Health Fitness Reports from United States said:

Interesting Studies, I thought caffeine only supplied short term energy causing a ‘crash’ in energy after a few hours. I’ll have to consume caffeine for my next workout, thanks
August 19, 2008 at 12:41 PM
Home Decorations said:

That’s fascinating. I never knew about this until now.
September 9, 2008 at 12:36 AM
Teak Furniture said:

That’s interesting, I am really learning a lot from your site.
September 10, 2008 at 09:13 AM
hieyeglasses said:

That’s cool! And I though caffeine is always bad for the body!
September 11, 2008 at 09:32 AM
San Antonio Lawyer said:

Interesting article! Thank you for a great post. Keep it up!
September 13, 2008 at 05:14 AM
Honda Fairings said:

As a caffeine adict I appreciate a lot this article. Thanks.
September 23, 2008 at 11:45 AM
El Chiflon said:

Never knew that caffeine has a lot of benefits until now especially to cyclists. Thank you for sharing this information.

-M from Mexico
October 5, 2008 at 10:31 AM
closet designs from Arizona said:

Well it’s logic. Because if you’ll read the history of coffee, you’ll see that it was first used in war. The soldiers had to eat some balls of coffee to get more power.
October 6, 2008 at 08:57 AM
Blackberry Storm Man said:

Wow! I have learned something today in that very short article. I would never thought caffeine has its benefits most especially for dehydrated bikers or for athletic. Well I always thought its always bad for our health, but look at the bright side.
January 14, 2009 at 12:52 PM
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well...i guess now i can justify my coffee drinking :D
January 22, 2009 at 02:29 PM
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The soldiers had to eat some balls of coffee to get more power.
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February 10, 2009 at 12:58 AM
coffee machines from United States of America said:

The Coffea plant is native to subtropical Africa and southern Asia
February 10, 2009 at 11:54 AM
Fat Burner from Scotland said:

This is very interesting. I have always just taken chocolate to give me energy and never even considered taking caffeine. Thanks.
February 11, 2009 at 02:48 PM
Most Fun Games said:

I have learned something today in that very short article. I would never thought caffeine has its benefits most especially for dehydrated bikers or for athletic. Well I always thought its always bad for our health, but look at the bright side.
February 23, 2009 at 10:27 AM
iPhone ringtone maker said:

That is crazy, more coffee..
February 23, 2009 at 12:16 PM
darkfall gold from DAVAO CITY said:

Really?Caffeine has benefits to our physical fitness.
More energy.
Me too fond of drinking coffee.
March 5, 2009 at 04:01 AM
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March 5, 2009 at 09:45 PM
Tower Defence from UK said:

Is caffeine allowed in atheletics? I think it is not… But I am also not sure about it. SO better ask the sports authority before using that if you are a sportsman. But other than that it is a good energy producer to get you energy in your body.
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March 26, 2009 at 02:05 AM
horoscopes said:

I would never thought caffeine has its benefits most especially for dehydrated bikers or for athletic.I guess its bad for health
April 15, 2009 at 04:13 AM
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April 29, 2009 at 06:20 PM
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May 7, 2009 at 10:31 AM
iPhone Ringtone Maker from beijing said:

Read this article, I fell in love with coffee.
May 11, 2009 at 06:13 AM
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May 17, 2009 at 02:24 PM
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May 20, 2009 at 10:29 AM
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May 27, 2009 at 11:45 AM
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Really? that’s interesting.
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June 10, 2009 at 10:55 AM
Civil Litigation from Birmingham said:

I’ve found it helps a lot for my running and martial arts. Though not so good for the calmer kenjutsu kata which need precision. There’s nothing worse than getting caffeine shakes when you’re trying to pull off a perfect move.
June 12, 2009 at 09:52 AM
Hong Kong Fashion said:

I didn’t knew that caffeine is good for our body. I also thought that drinking coffee makes the body loose water more rapidly. How does the coffee ball tasted?
June 14, 2009 at 02:32 PM
Childrens Swings said:

Coffee good for you? I though caffine was bad for people?
June 15, 2009 at 11:53 AM
Herpes Remedie from CA said:

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June 17, 2009 at 10:47 PM
Telecommunication Company said:

Great caffine good for you!
June 19, 2009 at 11:55 AM
Pandemic 2 said:

Hey I read in a health review last week that drinking coffee makes the body loose water more readily by urination. And isn’t caffeine harmful for our body.
June 19, 2009 at 01:26 PM
wholesale clothing from China said:

I’ve found it helps a lot for my running and martial arts. Though not so good Wholesale Clothing for the calmer kenjutsu kata which need precision. There’s nothing worse than getting caffeine shakes when you’re trying to pull off a perfect move.
June 25, 2009 at 12:43 PM
Extenze said:

- Choose Clothing Carefully: Light-colored, loose-fitting clothing will help your body breathe and cool itself down naturally.
- Drink lots of water: Sweating in the heat accelerates the loss of electrolytes that need to be replenished regularly throughout your run for safety and endurance reasons.
- Avoid substances that dehydrate the body: Be sure to restrict caffeine and alcohol. Some medications, such as antihistamines, are also dehydration risks.
June 25, 2009 at 05:11 PM