Consumption of energy drinks containing caffeine may have
beneficial effects on exercise but probably not for mental function. The
effects of pre-exercise caffeine consumption by trained cyclists on racing
times and cognitive performance were measured and are reported in Journal of
Caffeine Research, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.,
publishers. The article is available on the Journal of Caffeine Research
website.
Race performance improved for all study participants after
consuming an energy drink, even if they already had an elevated blood caffeine
level before the energy drink. Cycling times improved by an average of 3% for
the group. David Gray Lassiter and coauthors from University of Texas at Austin
also reported improvements in certain aspects of cognitive function, but these
were probably not due to the energy drink. They present their findings in the
article "Effect of an Energy Drink on Physical and Cognitive Performance
in Trained Cyclists."