Jannie
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 Posted: 01/19/07 - 04:52 Post subject: Caffeine may ease post-workout pain |
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Both exercisers and researchers have been trying to find a cure-all for the post-exercise soreness with little success. Many methods have been tried including over-the-counter painkillers, stretching and massage but still no cure-all was found.
A new study suggested that a morning cup of coffee may be all that it takes to avoid the dreaded post-exercise muscle soreness after a challenging workout.
The post-exercise pain occurs a day or two after a workout that was more intense than normal. It is eccentric contraction in which a muscle produces a force while it's being lengthened.
The study was done on a small group of 9 young women. The researchers produced eccentric contractions in the women's thigh muscles in a simulated workout and caused moderate day-after soreness.
The same process had been done for two days in during which the women had to take either a caffeine or placebo pill one hour before the muscle workout. The women who took the caffeine instead of placebo pills reported less muscle soreness during the workout.
It is believed that caffeine blocks the muscle pain by blocking the activity of a chemical called adenosine, which is released as part of the inflammatory response to injury and that can activate pain receptors in body cells.
However, it turns out that the supplement had the amount of two cups of coffee and not one, which would mean that caffeine side effects like anxiety, increased blood pressure, heart palpitations, stomach problems and disrupted sleep were likely to occur.
Researchers advise that caution should be used with coffee in order to avoid the unwanted side effects. |
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