Critique of an article from the Journal of Applied Physiology
"Effect of different protocols of caffeine intake on metabolism and endurance performance"
Introduction
In 2002, a group of Australian researchers published a paper entitled the "Effect of different protocols of caffeine intake on metabolism and endurance performance". Caffeine use during sporting events has become much more popular and has widely studied. The purpose of the research was to examine the work increasing (ergogenic) effects of differing regiments of caffeine on metabolism and performance while simulating the typical nutritional preparation an athlete would do for a race. The study also sought to examine the effect of timing of caffeine intake, comparing results when caffeine was given before an event (precaf) to results from caffeine given during an event (durcaf). In addition, the researchers wanted to understand the practice of endurance athletes drinking defizzed Coca-Cola towards the end of a race. It was widely observed that many triathletes and marathoners feel they derive a boost from consuming Coca-Cola in the final stages of an event as a replacement to sports drinks.
Participants and Overall Research Design
Two similar, but separate studies were conducted. The first study (A) used 12 highly trained athletes, either triathletes or cyclists. The second study (B) used a smaller sample of 8 athletes with similar backgrounds. While training histories were similar, caffeine intake histories varied from occasional to regular intake of up to ~150 mg/day (2mg/Kg). Subjects first performed a maximal incremental power test to determine their VO2 peak, a measurement of the body's ability to taken in O2 and turn it into work. A work rate of ...
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...e that negated some or all of the impact of the caffeine. 5) Test method variation (for blood or urinary tests) was not a factor. No data was given indicating the reproducibility of the test methods used.
A proposal to improve the design is examining the results versus pre-trial caffeine use. Would individuals who habitually use caffeine have the same performance enhancement as those who occasionally
use it or would the effect be lower? Another suggestion is to include a statement discussing test method variation and the impact (or lack of impact) on the test results. Finally, a larger sample size can help determine if borderline data is significant. While cost is almost always a consideration in research, the text discusses changes in muscle metabolism as not detectable. Additional data from more test subjects could produce results with statistical significance.
Snell PG, Ward R, Kandaswami C, Stohs SJ. Comparative effects of selected non-caffeinated rehydration sports drinks on short-term performance following moderate dehydration. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 7:28-36, 2010.
The subject was then asked to perform the same steps as last week in addition to getting their blood lactate taken before activity begins and again at every increase in incline. These processes were performed the following week as well, but the test subject was given a concoction that contained 250 mg of caffeine. This study was a double blind study in which the instructors, nor the subjects knew when the test subject was given caffeine. By having a double blind study all biases for how the data should turn out were eliminated. In addition, the professors, the test subject, and the research group were unable to skew the data because they were unaware of when the subject got the
Caffeine, a central nervous system stimulant, is the main psychoactive ingredient in energy drinks, which enhances alertness and mood, and counteracts symptoms of sleep. There is no doubt ...
For this experiment the null hypothesis is that the intensity of the step rate test (High and Low) has no effect on the persons’ heart rate and recovery time. While the alternate hypothesis is that the intensity of the step rate test (High and Low) has an effect on the persons’ heart rate and recovery time.
9. Zaharieva, D. P., & Riddell, M. C. (2013). Caffeine and glucose homeostasis during rest and exercise in diabetes mellitus. Applied Physiology, Nutrition & Metabolism, 38(8), 813-822.
In a single group post-test only design, possible confounds include the lack of a comparison group and the absence of an equivalent control group. Once again, a testing and an experimenter effect could also contribute to changes in test performance.
Going into details of the article, I realized that the necessary information needed to evaluate the experimental procedures were not included. However, when conducting an experiment, the independent and dependent variable are to be studied before giving a final conclusion.
Barnard, J. (1992) Caffeine in Sport: influence of endurance exercise on the urinary caffeine Concentration.
Does one drink caffeine? Caffeine is everywhere, it's in everything, it's apart of our daily lives. That’s what people doesn’t realizes; every soda drink, every cup of coffee, and every energy drink he or she gulps down before a thrilling game, all of that is caffeine. Caffeine is only completed when he or she get addicted. Caffeine can be an exceptional threat to the human body; energy drinks for example, it has enough caffeine to kill someone if he or she drinks enough. Energy drinks has been the number one drink high school students drink to stay awake in school; they even bring the drink in classrooms, and more than one energy drink. Soda has enough caffeine to destroy ones inner body. Soda is a everyday drink for some individuals, they
Scrutiny of caffeine and its effects has increased dramatically in the last 20 years, due in part to an increase in consumption of caffeine. In fact, coffee consumption among young adults rose to 3.2 cups per day in 2008 from 2.4 cups per day in 2005 (Rokerya 1). For instance, in a one hour period, on Richland College’s on-campus Starbucks, the author took note of how many customers arrived and purchased a cup of coffee. Between 8:00 and 9:00 AM, there were 51 customers, implying that – especially at college - many people are dependent on coffee in the mornings. However, the results from these studies are inconclusive and often somewhat contradictory – many studies (such as that by Tetsuya Ohara et al.) show that caffeine is a great boon to
Keeping water or a sports drink within an easy reach is an essential throughout all times during athletic activity and workouts. It is debateable concerning the idea of adding sports drinks to your daily diet. Sports drinks would often have advertisements to glorify the product and its benefits to increase their purchase rate. It is important to know what you’re ingesting into your body and to not believe everything that is advertised. In a daily diet, it is best to compare the two in which is the better exercise drink, concerning a number of factors, the most important of which is proper hydration.
Research from the 1980-90s shows sports drinks help minimise fatigue during longer-term exercise. Since then, these drinks have been extensively used with great effect in “endurance” athletic events. A 600-millilitre bottle of the sports drink Powerade, for instance, contains the energy equivalent of 30 minutes of walking or 10 to 15 minutes of jogging. That much energy content can be very useful for someone aiming to improve exercise performance, but it’s not useful for people who aren’t highly active and are already eating a normal diet.
As the vast majority of Americans are addicted to caffeine, studies show that the effects during post-consumption, can be positive or negative depending on the amount and frequency of caffeine intake. As the demand for caffeine has increased, the caffeine industry has increased its amount of marketing and establishments to help aid this demand. Caffeine addiction can lead to serious health and physiological detriments. It is evident that the primary reason for consumption of caffeinated beverages is due to positive effects, such as alertness. The media has an abundance of marketing to continue to illustrate this main effect.
The following study will examine and provide research methods, results and conclusions about college students who consume caffeine energy drinks, alcohol or both to get an energy boost for one reason or another. Coffee which use to be the highlight of boosting energy and staying up late nights to complete homework assignments or study has taken a fall in the 20th century. The study will also point out the effects of the energy drinks and alcohol and the harm and health concerns that contribute to the students behaviors when consumed. The first study examines energy drinks and alcohol among college students and the fact that more students are consuming the product. The study is a web based questionnaire. The article “Caffeinated cocktails: energy drink consumption, high-risk drinking, and alcohol-related consequences among college students”, paints a good picture of the behaviors followed by drinking energy drinks and alcohol such as; heavy drinking, increased alcohol-related consequences, taken advantage of sexually, traveling with intoxicated drivers, getting injured or physically hurt, and those requiring medical attention. The second article “A survey of energy drink consumption patterns among college students” utilized a field research focus group of 32 to determine how much college students drink energy drinks including the benefits and the health issues. The energy drinks Red Bull, Amp, Monster, Rock Star, Rip It, Full Throttle, and Cocaine, just to name a few were created to give individuals a “Jolt” of energy with a combination of stimulants or “energy boosters” that include caffeine.
... tested in the same manner for a specified purpose in order to maintain consistency and validity within results.