Caffeine Helps Boost Muscle Strength in Elderly

COVENTRY, United KingdomElderly individuals who regularly consume caffeine are more likely to maintain muscle strength and reduce their risk of falls and injuries, according to new research presented at the Society for Experimental Biology meeting on June  30.

For adults in their prime, caffeine helps muscles to produce more force. But as we age, our muscles naturally change and become weaker. Sports scientists at Coventry University examined whether these age-related changes in muscle would alter the effect of caffeine.

The researchers isolated muscles from mice ranging in age from juvenile to elderly, then tested their performance before and after caffeine treatment. They looked at two different skeletal muscles, which are the muscles we can control voluntarily. The first was the diaphragm, a core muscle used for respiration; the second was a leg muscle called the extensor digitorum longus (EDL), used for locomotion.

They found caffeine continued to enhance muscle performance in two different muscles from mice, although it was less effective in older muscles. Caffeine's effect was smallest for juvenile muscles, suggesting caffeine may not have an enhancing effect in developing muscles.

Despite a reduced effect in the elderly, caffeine may still provide performance-enhancing benefits." said lead author Jason Tallis said. With the importance of maintaining a physically active lifestyle to preserve health and functional capacity, the performance-enhancing benefit of caffeine could prove beneficial in the aging population."