Coffee must be one of the most popular non-alcoholic drinks consumed all over the world. It can be taken with meals or in between meals. Many offices have coffee makers in the pantry. Most people, however, are unaware that coffee does not just keep sedentary office workers awake. It also enhances the performance of athletes and outdoor enthusiasts.
Research shows that drinking 2.5 cups of percolated coffee 1 hour before exercise significantly improves athletic performance. Some sources report a 2% increase in athletic performance after consuming coffee. Experiments on endurance training report up to 24% increase in performance.
The exact mechanism for caffeine’s ergogenic effect is uncertain. It is believed that caffeine increases fat burning and spares some carbohydrates. Athletes who consume coffee before exercise show a higher level of blood glucose after exercise than they do without coffee consumption. Fat burning greatly improves endurance. That’s why its effect on endurance sports is particularly powerful. Its ergogenic effect is maintained for 3-6 hours before it is cleared from the body.
Caffeine may act directly on fat tissue or it may act indirectly on the adrenal glands to release adrenaline. It is also a stimulant and excites the nervous system.
Ginseng has been used as a herbal tonic in China for thousands of years. It is said to greatly enhance the body’s “qi”. This translates into increased stamina. It also boosts immunity and speeds recovery from colds and flus. it is believed that ginsengnosides are the active ingredients in ginseng. They are believed to have powerful antioxidant effects. However, from a traditional Chinese medicine point of view, the efficacy of a herb lies in the body’s response to it and not in the activity of its constituents in intefering with pathological processes.
A combination of ginseng and coffee? It’s not my invention, but after consuming it, I accidentally discovered that it has ergogenic effects superior to ginseng or coffee alone. My favoured way of making ginseng coffee is to prepare a cup of real instant coffee and then place a teabag of ginseng into it while still hot. This is one of my ergogenic recipes.
© Chan Joon Yee
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