diet, drugs, nutrition

The Big Lie
Caffeine has been introduced to the sports world as an enhancer of performance. Even by many top coaches.
The Truth is:
Caffeine does not give you energy! That it does is the greatest lie that has been perpetuated by the caffeine industry. Scientifically, you cannot measure any increase in energy provided by caffeine. You can measure higher levels of stress, as evidenced by spikes in stress hormones, elevations in blood pressure and heart rate, but no one can claim that these are positive benefits.
Caffeine is looked on as a great lifter. I’ve heard it many a time, after a person has had a cup of tea or coffee “Ah that’s better” It’s only because that person is a user of caffeine and needs a fix, so when it’s drunk it satisfies the craving/need. Take similar criteria’s of a smoker or an alcoholic if they are deprived of their habit they feel terrible but once they have taken their cigarette/alcohol they will feel better. Does this mean that somehow these things are good for you?
As regards hydration for sports performance, tea coffee and alcohol stimulate the body to pass more urine than the amount of fluid taken in and so dehydrating the body this is detrimental to the performance of the athlete. It is well documented that a loss of fluids equating to just 2% of your body mass will have a very detrimental effect on performance.
Concerns have again been raised about the energy drink, Red Bull, after the deaths of three people in Sweden, all of whom had drunk it just before they died. This follows deaths in Europe and America linked, though without proof, with Red Bull. As Bob Chaundy of the BBC's News Profiles Unit explains, despite these health scares, it has become a worldwide phenomenon.
The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, took blood samples from 3,000 people, about half men and half women, while they were fasting. The participants were also asked about their coffee drinking habits. It found men who drank more than 200ml of coffee a day had 30% higher levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and 3% higher white blood cell counts - both indicators of cardiovascular inflammation - than those who did not drink coffee. Women had 38% higher CRP and 4% higher white blood cell counts.
It is banned in France, classified as a medicine in Norway and, until recently was only available in pharmacies in Japan. Yet, Red Bull, the drink that "gives you wings" sold more than a billion cans last year across 50 countries. Red Bull promotes, sponsors, advertises their product at Sports championships like the Athletics’ “Indoor Grand Prix” at Birmingham on Saturday 16th.feb 2008. Many are duped by the manufactures to think, “this is good for me this will enhance my performance.”
When will the sports people here wake up to the fact that caffeine is a harmful drug and should not be taken by any serious sportsperson?
Some interesting reading on the issue “Caffeine Blues” by Stephen Chernisky. M.S.
Toughern

	Author:	toughern (toughern's profile, toughern's blog)
	Posted On:	Sun, 2008-02-17 12:17
	Tags:	diet, drugs and nutrition
	Comments:	1 comment, go to comments