CAFFEINE, MECHANISMS OF ACTION AND EFFECTS ON PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE

Caffeine is one of the most widely used nutritional supplements and nutrients. While a substantial part of caffeine consumption occurred through coffee, some other foods, pills and drinks contain caffeine as well. Caffeine also functions as the active ingredient of the recently popularized energy drinks and acts as psychoactive agent with its physiological effects. Though there are different theories that proposed about the benefits and risks of caffeine, it was reported that caffeine doses up to 400 mg a day for adults can be deemed as safe and do not result in any health risk. Practical and application-oriented briefing related to caffeine usage as an ergogenic supplement is important in order to support the performance of athletes and trainers. This review was prepared to give detailed information on this topi