Caffeine gum has emerged as a popular performance-enhancing tool among endurance athletes seeking a competitive edge. Designed to deliver caffeine quickly and conveniently, caffeine gum is another option besides traditional caffeine-rich sources like coffee, tea, and energy drinks. Caffeine gum can boost endurance performance by enhancing alertness and reducing perceived exertion.
However, its effectiveness and proper dosage are critical considerations for athletes aiming to optimize their training and competition outcomes. Understanding these factors is essential for harnessing the full benefits of caffeine gum in endurance sports.
Benefits of Caffeine for Endurance Athletes
Caffeine is available in many forms for endurance athletes. From caffeinated energy gels, chews, and shots to hydration mixes and a good ‘ol cup of joe. While there are countless ways to consume caffeine to put a pep in your step (or pedal- ha!), it is important to understand the “how” before I dive into the “how to.”
Caffeine stimulates your central nervous system, increasing focus and alertness in endurance athletes. Research from the International Society of Sports Nutrition supports the idea that caffeine can enhance cognitive function in athletes, helping with attention and vigilance.
Being able to dial in and focus during training and races can benefit your overall performance. Your brain will stay more aware and free of potential distractions that slow you down. Other positive effects of caffeine for endurance athletes include:
Enhances Endurance and Stamina
Studies have confirmed that caffeine use can enhance endurance and stamina for athletes. It works by helping your muscles to spare glycogen, your stored form of energy. This delays how fast your glycogen gets depleted, allowing you to train for longer before you reach fatigue.
There is also evidence to support that caffeine reduces your perceived exertion during performances, aka how hard it feels to complete your training or race. If it feels easier, you are likely to have the motivation and energy to keep moving.
Improves Strength and Power
Caffeine can also improve an athlete’s strength and power. Research studies have demonstrated that caffeine can have meaningful impacts on both upper and lower body strength, as well as power outcomes.
It is important to keep in mind that even a small improvement can give athletes a competitive advantage. I’m sure you’re aware of the benefits of cutting just a few minutes off your race time- it makes a huge difference.
In studies, caffeine proves to be beneficial alongside endurance exercise at a dose of around 1.5 mg-3 mg/lb body weight (3 to 6 mg/kg). If you are planning to train in one of these adverse conditions, a serving of caffeine may help improve your performance.
Be sure to visit our caffeine blog if you are looking for a deep dive into the popular topic.
How Does Caffeine Gum Work?
So glad you asked! When you chew caffeine gum, the caffeine is released into your saliva and some is absorbed directly into the bloodstream. This happens quickly as that absorption happens through the cheeks and under the tongue. This area is known as the buccal mucosa. Some research has shown that the rate of caffeine absorption from gum is significantly faster to reach peak concentration.
Benefits of Caffeine Gum
Fortunately, there are several benefits of caffeine gum for endurance athletes including:
A quicker energy boost without the wait time, though exact absorption timing is unclear and varies among individuals
Convenience and portability. Most caffeine gum options are available in individual packages that are portable and easy to slip into a hydration pack, pair of running shorts, or bike jersey
Less liquid intake and more flexibility. You do not need to slug down an entire bottle of a caffeinated hydration mix versus chew on a dime-sized piece of gum
Reduced risk of spills and stickiness because you are taking the liquid factor out of the equation!
Caffeine Usage Tips and Best Practices
In general, the recommended performance-enhancing dose of caffeine (from any source) is about 1.5 mg/lb body weight (3 mg/kg). You can divide this out among your events instead of giving yourself a big jolt at the start.
If you’re going to delay your caffeine until closer to when fatigue starts to appear, then look at ingesting 0.5-1 mg/lb (1-2 mg/kg) body weight.
But please remember that more caffeine is not better! The ergogenic effect maxes out if you consume more than this amount. You will want to experiment with caffeine dosage amounts during training.
I have personally tried Run Gum (affiliate link) for my half marathons and found them enjoyable and effective!
Before You Start Using Caffeine Gum
Caffeine gum often contains other ingredients including sugar alcohols, such as sorbitol, mannitol, and xylitol, or other non-nutritive sweeteners such as sucralose. Other ingredients such as B vitamins and taurine are often added. Beware that some these ingredients, when consumed in excess, can cause gastrointestinal (GI) issues such as bloating, abdominal distension, and diarrhea.
As with any nutrition supplement, my sports dietitian team and I discourage trying anything new on race day. Ideally, you want to experiment with caffeine gum throughout training to reduce the risk of any ill-wanted side effects, especially if you plan to use caffeinated gum on race day.
If you are combining caffeine gum with other caffeinated sports nutrition products such as hydration mixes or gels, you may be overdoing it. Too much caffeine regularly can lead to other negative outcomes including sleep disturbances, insomnia, dependency, and also withdrawal symptoms.
Caffeine Gum: The Takeaway
There are many tools in the sports nutrition toolbox that are effective for boosting performance and caffeine gum can be one of those tools.
My team and I are here to support you. We are an experienced and passionate dietitian team and can help get you confidently fueling well. Our 1:1 program is ideal for fine-tuning your fueling and nutrition.
*Our blog post may include some affiliate links where I receive a small commission for your purchase!