Caffeine study stirs up sore reactions

By Crystal Russ
The Collegian

Caffeine is best known for that “perk-me-up” sensation many students need to make it through the day after the late nights college is famous for. But the benefits of caffeine may not end there.

In a small study that was recently published in the Journal of Pain, researchers said their results indicate that caffeine eases muscle pain that often results from a rigorous session at the gym.
The study has not been met with uniform approval, however.

“Drinking caffeinated products to reduce muscle soreness from lifting weights is an overblown claim,” Cherie Pettitt said, a health educator with the Fresno State Wellness Services Program. “Research on this topic has been limited to using untrained subjects, unaccustomed to caffeine,” Pettitt said.

In a discussion with several employees of the Student Recreation Center, the claims of the study drew further criticism.

“Caffeine dehydrates you,” Maia Jost, the assistant director of the Student Recreation Center, said. “You can actually exacerbate the muscle pain because of dehydration.”

Jost said the only way a stimulant like caffeine could be beneficial for muscle soreness is because the caffeine will get you moving, and the resulting increased blood flow will break up the lactic acid, which is a contributing factor to delayed-onset muscle soreness.

Caffeine is not encouraged for the purpose of treating muscle soreness because any benefits it may offer comes with other problems, such as heart palpitations or feeling strung out, Jost said.

Pettitt said the negatives outweigh the positives. “In my opinion, the negative side effects outweigh any small medicinal effects caffeine might have, such as increased risk of heart palpitations, increased blood pressure and sleep disturbances,” Pettitt said.

Student Recreation Center employees Josh Kirby and Andrew Huang, both kinesiology seniors, also expressed disapproval of the study and encouraged students to instead look to light post-workout stretching exercises and anti-inflammatory medication to cope with muscle soreness.

A light follow-up workout increases blood flow, breaking down lactic acid in much the same way that caffeine could, minus the side effects, Jost said.

“The bottom line is that for most people beginning a weight lifting program, soreness is a temporary inconvenience,” Pettitt said. “If people are willing to wait a week or two, they will find that lifting weights regularly and the subsequent soreness that may occur will not interfere with their daily routine.”

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