Photo/Illutration A field test studies the effects of caffeine on 100-meter sprinters. (Provided by Ritsumeikan University)

Caffeine, a drug known to improve the performances of long-distance runners, can also help sprinters shave time off their 100-meter dashes, a group of scientists said.

The researchers from Ritsumeikan University and Nippon Sport Science University said caffeine ingestion enhanced the “explosive acceleration” from the starting line and improved sprint times by more than 0.1 second.

Research has shown that caffeine intake effectively enhances endurance, muscle strength and other properties temporarily among athletes such as distance runners.

However, there had been no scientific studies on whether sprinters can obtain similar caffeine-derived effects, the scientists said.

They conducted a field test on 13 male sprinters from the Ritsumeikan University track and field club.

They each consumed a capsule containing caffeine in doses of 6 milligrams per kilogram of their respective body weights. They ran the sprint when their blood-caffeine levels were at a maximum level.

Each caffeine dose was the equivalent to the amount in three to four cups of coffee, a level that is safe for health, the researchers said.

The scientists used a laser displacement sensor to record the test subjects’ sprint speeds. Their times were adjusted for environmental factors, such as wind and atmospheric pressure.

For comparisons, the subjects were also tested after taking a placebo with no caffeine content.

The 13 subjects on average finished the 100-meter sprint in 11.40 seconds after taking the placebo. But their times averaged 11.26 seconds after ingesting the caffeine, down 0.14 second, or the equivalent of more than 1 meter.

The caffeine-takers’ acceleration improved significantly in the first 20 meters, increasing their mean velocity, the researchers said.

Caffeine currently is not listed as a performance-enhancing drug banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

But excessive caffeine ingestion can cause health damage, such as dizziness and nausea, the researchers said.

Teppei Matsumura, a master’s program student at the Ritsumeikan University Graduate School of Sport and Health Science who was involved in the study, emphasized that the caffeine doses used were at safe levels.

“By no means do our results show that taking large doses will be effective,” Matsumura said. “No side effects were found in our study, but the effects of caffeine in smaller doses should also be studied in the future.”

The research results were published in the U.S. science journal Medical & Science in Sports and Exercise (https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000003057) in October.

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