Caffeine – how much is in a cup of coffee?
The answer is that we don’t really know and it can often be very different. So, let’s take a deeper look.
Caffeine is a substance that comes from leaves, nuts and seeds of certain plants and gives us that extra buzz through central nervous system activation. Athletes often strategically use caffeine as an ergogenic aid to mask fatigue or get them in the right frame of mind pre-competition. The average cup of coffee has ~80mg of caffeine in it. But what is an average cup of coffee?
A study by Sports Dietitians during the Rio Olympic Games showed that 1 cup of coffee served in the athlete village had anywhere between ~20mg – 200mg of caffeine. When relying on a certain amount of caffeine as part of a pre-comp plan, that cup of coffee from a machine or your local barista might not be as reliant as you think, to get you where you need to be.
The solution? Plan ahead with specific foods and products and question what you’re actually getting, especially when travelling for comps. Speak with a sports dietitian how you can best optimise that buzz before a competition.
