What are the Effects of Caffeine on Human Health?

Many studies have been conducted on the effects of coffee and caffeine consumption on human health. These studies have attempted to determine the direct effects on human health based on detailed information and findings regarding caffeine and coffee.

Although coffee is a substance in its own right, it contains caffeine. While coffee consumption has a modest impact on reducing the likelihood of developing colon cancer, it is considered to have a protective, or preventive, effect against this type of cancer.

Additionally, the regular consumption of decaffeinated coffee has been found to have a preventive effect against colon or rectal cancer. This finding suggests that the preventive effect against colorectal cancer is independent of caffeine, as it is observed with decaffeinated coffee.

In conclusion, both findings indicate that regular coffee consumption may have positive effects on various health outcomes.

Athletes are required by regulation to limit their intake of caffeine and caffeine-containing foods 48-72 hours before a sports competition.

Ergogenic Effects of Caffeine

In many studies on caffeine, it has been noted that research aimed at determining its ergogenicity often focuses on a single aspect.

Acute caffeine consumption (1mg to 6mg/kg of body mass) has been found to have numerous positive effects on physical and athletic performance. Research on some female athletes has shown positive results, particularly in observations of reaction time and psychological effects.

Some researchers have found that acute caffeine intake has similar ergogenic effects in both female and male athletes. However, in studies focusing on power output, it has been observed that caffeine intake shows a weaker effect in women. While this effect is not substantial, its existence has been confirmed.

As a result of this research, caffeine has been removed from the list of prohibited substances for use in sports nutrition.

What is Caffeine's Mechanism of Action in the Body?

The ergogenicity of caffeine is due to its pharmacological effect of stimulating the central nervous system. This stimulation, in turn, creates a synergistic effect in other peripheral tissues, leading to its various psychological impacts.

One of the negative effects of caffeine consumption is that an intake of 6mg/kg adversely affects sleep patterns. It also has not provided an advantage or made a difference for distance runners in completing their race in a shorter time. In contrast, an ergogenic effect has been observed in individuals with low to moderate caffeine consumption (3mg to 9mg/kg).

In athletes habituated to caffeine, an intake of 11 mg/kg may have positive effects on maximum power output. However, this also comes with some disadvantages, such as a decrease in muscle endurance.

For individuals with a daily caffeine habit, de-habituation strategies are recommended instead of increasing intake.

Many studies conclude that caffeine has predominantly positive effects.