Caffeine Accelerates Post-Exercise Glycogen Resynthesis

Australian researchers recently investigated the effects of coingesting carbohydrate and caffeine after exhaustive exercise on the rate of muscle glycogen synthesis. Seven subjects consumed a low-carb diet and performed exhaustive exercise to deplete their muscle glycogen stores. After completing their workout they consumed either carbohydrate or carbohydrate plus caffeine during four hours of passive recovery. The researchers found that muscle glycogen was synthesized 66 percent faster with caffeine than without. The study was published in the Journal of Applied Physiology.