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wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I've sent a similar message out on teamail, but I'd like to get some of
> your feedback aswell. I'm curious what place you think tea has as a
> dietary supplement for enhanced performance in sport. Caffeine is in
> fact a banned substance by WADA (world anti-doping agency), but the
> limit is high enough that It's almost impossible to consume enough tea
> or coffee to test positive.
>
> I've attended numerous nutrition seminars and the typical idea is that
> tea is bad in sports because it can act as a diuretic.
>
> I'd like your opinion on tea and sport. Does it have a place as a
> dietary supplement to enhance performance? Will it actually enhance
> performance? Is it ethical?

Caffeine has one interesting effect re training:

If you are NOT habituated to caffeine and you drink a cup of coffee
shortly before doing cardio. your body's metabolic setpoint is raised,
meaning that at any given calorie output you will burn more fat and
less carbs than if you had not had the caffeine. If you drink a lot of
coffee anyway, you'll see no difference.

Of course, you'll burn exactly as many calories either way, so in the
end your body's energy balance for the day won't be any different,
provided your calorie intake is the same in either case, so over time
your rate of fat loss or gain won't be changed, it will just spike more
towards the loss-rate side during caffeine-enhanced cardio. Changing
your macronutrient ratios (protein/carb/fat) won't make a difference
either, because your body converts carbs and protein to fat at will.
So saving carbs during your workout will result in replacing fat during
digestion.

And for competitive purposes this is counterproductive, since burning
carbs actually lets you go faster with less pain anyway. You want to
avoid the moderate caffeine and use easily-burned carbs (honey, sports
gel, etc) instead. Large amounts of caffeine do create a hyperactive
state, but, as you said, that's banned.

The diuretic effect can be ameliorated by drinking more fluids, though
carrying and obtaining more fluids may be itself detrimental to your
pace, as will peeing.

--Blair