Caffeine may exacerbate exercise-induced gut damage ⚠️
An area of concern for athletes?
Caffeine exacerbates exercise-induced gut cell damage and is influenced by ADORA2A genotype but not CYP1A2 genotype: A preliminary study
Study Details
This new study recruited 18 participants to ingest either…
☕️ Caffeine (3 mg/kg)
💊 Placebo
…45-mins prior to cycling exercise (20 min at 70% VO2max + 15-min TT) 🚴
Plasma intestinal fatty acid binding protein (iFABP - a marker of gut cell damage) was assessed throughout the intervention 🔬
Key Findings
Post-exercise markers of gut cell damage were significantly higher in the caffeine group 📈
BUT only in those individuals with the ADORA2A genotype 🧬
A gene commonly associated with heightened caffeine sensitivity ☕️
Post-exercise TT markers of gut cell damage increased by…
📈 +109% in the “high sensitivity” group
…compared to only +48% in the CYP1A2 “low sensitivity” group.
Conclusion
Acute post-exercise damage to gut cells may be exacerbated by caffeine use in individuals with ADORA2A genotype 🧬
For athletes with gut health issues it may be worth investigating this relationship 🔍
Reference
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41261949/
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