Bikespresso!

So, for those of you who don’t already know, we love our espresso here in the office.  Personally, I go through about 2 to 3 cups a day, unless it’s a Monday, then I just stop counting.

Good news is, not only does it keep me away from the land of dreams (where Beyoncé shares a room with Katy Perry in a mansion made of puppies), apparently a study has been done proving it actually helps boost recovery time for cyclists.

A team of Australian researchers found that increased caffeine consumption paired with a hi-carb diet can boost glycogen, glycogen being the main energy source use by the body during cycling.  I know, I know, “a team of Australian researchers” doesn’t inspire as much confidence as, say, “a team of Austrian researchers” might, what I originally misread the study as saying, but I’m sure they’re still plenty professional down under.

Aside from the questionable “team of researchers,” there is a slight catch…

For the best results, a 165-pound person would have to consume roughly 600mg of caffeine per day.  That means for me to see the same results as the cyclists tested, I’d have to up my espresso intake from 2 cups per day to about 10 cups per day.  By no means impossible, but I feel like there might be some other slightly negative side effects.

Either way, if 600mg does a ton of good, 120mg can’t hurt, right?  And now I have another excuse to drink the coffee I so lovingly crave.

Thank you science.  Thank you.