1. Archive
2. Vol.51, No.6

Caffeine Ingestion Attenuates the VO₂ Slow Component during Intense Exercise

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of caffeine ingestion on the slow component of oxygen uptake (VO₂) during high-intensity endurance exercise. Nine subjects (8 male and 1 female; age: 21 ± 1 years; VO_{2 max}: 57.9 ± 1.5 ml kg⁻¹ min⁻¹) performed two 9-min tests on a treadmill at a running velocity eliciting 90% of their VO_{2 max}, 60 min after ingesting either a placebo capsule (PLAC) or a capsule containing a caffeine dose of 5 mg (kg body mass)⁻¹ [CAFF]. The mean values of VO₂ were significantly lower in CAFF than in PLAC (83 ± 31 ml min⁻¹ vs. 167 ± 26 ml min⁻¹, respectively; p < 0.05). These findings suggest that the ergogenic effect of caffeine in a high-intensity endurance exercise shown in previous research may be partly mediated by a possible attenuation of the VO₂ slow component.

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