UGA researchers find caffeine reduces muscle pain durin...( ium. Caffeine also seems to work...),Health

Caffeine also seems to work less well for heavy caffeine users who habituate because of a change in receptors with caffeine use, O'Connor said.

Prior research has focused on other types of pain, such as headaches, joint or skin pain, toothaches or pain in damaged muscles at rest, maybe a few days after being injured during exercise. The UGA researchers' work focuses on pain that occurs naturally with muscles contracting during exercise.

"The next step is to learn how caffeine helps people feel less muscle pain during exercise" said Robert Motl, lead author of the study and an assistant professor of kinesiology at the University of Illinois. "Evidence suggests that caffeine works by blocking the actions of adenosine, however, we don't know yet whether the caffeine is acting on muscles or the brain."

Motl, who received his doctorate from UGA in 2002, also worked with Rod Dishman, professor of exercise science, on the research project.

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Contact: Michael Childs
mchilds@coe.uga.edu
706-542-5889
University of Georgia
15-Sep-2003