No-Doz

Product Name:  No-Doz Awakeners
Manufacturer:  Key Pharmaceuticals Pty Ltd
Category:   Sports products & Supplements
Cost:    ~$6 / box 24 tablets
Available from:  Pharmacy/Chemist
Ingredients:  100% laboratory grade caffeine

Analysis:  100mg caffeine/ tablet*

*Most dietary sources of caffeine such as tea/coffee/chocolate/cola drinks/energy drinks typically provide 30-100mg of caffeine per serve, while some non-prescriptive medications contain 100-200mg of caffeine per tablet.

Comments:

• Legality: On January 1st, 2004 caffeine was removed from the 2004 World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List. This allows athletes who compete in sports that have adopted the 2004 WADA List to consume caffeine, within their usual diet or for specific purposes of performance enhancement, without fear of sanctions.
• Features:  Coffee is not an ideal source for supplementation because of the variability of the caffeine content and that other compounds in coffee may negate the ergogenic effects of caffeine.  No-Doz provides a way to take in caffeine in isolation from other compounds and in a measurable dose.
• How Does Caffeine Work?  The actual mechanisms by which caffeine supplementation enhances sports performance remains unclear. It is likely to involve alterations to the perception of effort/fatigue/pacing and increase alertness via its effect on the central nervous system. Caffeine may exert a direct effect on the skeletal muscle thereby improving reaction time. Contrary to popular belief, theories explaining the effects as "glycogen-sparing" and promoting fat utilisation, are now discredited.
• Doses: The latest evidence shows beneficial effects at small-moderate caffeine doses (3mg/kg) when taken at a variety of times and/or throughout exercise, or towards the end of exercise when the athlete is fatigued. There appears to be no dose response to caffeine intake, because performance benefits are not increased when larger doses of caffeine are consumed.

Suitable for:

Type of exercise:

• Caffeine is an unusual ergogenic aid as it appears to provide benefits for a wide range of sports. As there are few studies involving elite athletes, field-based research is required to determine sport specific usage protocols for caffeine supplementation.
• Caffeine supplementation has been shown to improve:
  - sub-maximal, continuous endurance exercise
  - shorter duration/high-intensity exercise
  - Studies involving team/court sports requiring repeated near-maximal sprints of short-duration are lacking, however recent studies have shown benefits in power, work output and choice reaction time.

Potential Side-Effects:

Side-effects at the 3mg/kg dose are rare but at higher levels of supplementation, potential problems may include dizziness, headache, jitteriness, hunger sensations. Caffeine supplementation has been traditionally blamed for increased urine losses but the effect on hydration levels is minimal, particularly in people who are habitual caffeine users. The accumulative effects of caffeine are unknown and doses may need to be altered if other supplements are routinely taken.

Rating:

This product is a suitable caffeine supplement however should only be considered for use by athletes in consultation with a Sports Dietitian/Physician.

For more detail on caffeine please visit the AIS nutrition website for their supplement program.

Reviewed by: Lesley Farthing, Sports Dietitian (ACT)