[Tuf]

That is actually a very good point, X-Factor.

Blux, have you read the research on caffeine supplementation for endurance and strength-power athletes? Its benefits are widely documented (as shown in the article NJI mentioned), and it is declared by many researchers to be a "safe and effective" ergogenic aid. It is even stated that long-term consumption of caff. at < 5 cups/day doesn’t appear to increase the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, peptic ulcer disease or cardiac arrhythmias (Tarnopolsky MA. Caffeine and endurance performance. Sports Med. 1994 Aug;18(2):109-25).

It has also been demonstrated in several studies that even though caff. consumption stimulates a mild diuresis similar to water, there is no evidence of a fluid-electrolyte imbalance that is detrimental to exercise performance and health (Armstrong, L.E. Caffeine, body fluid-electrolyte balance, and exercise performance. Int. J. Sport Nutr. Exerc. Metab. 12:189–206. 2002; Paluska SA. Caffeine and exercise. Curr Sports Med Rep. 2003 Aug;2(4):213-9; Graham TE. Caffeine and exercise: metabolism, endurance and performance. Sports Med. 2001;31(11):785-807.). As a matter of fact, when caffeine (100-680 mg) has been compared to water or placebo, studies have rarely found a statistical difference in urine volume.

Now obviously there is potential for abuse, as with any drug. There have been reports of side effects like hypokalemia, elevated blood glucose, tachycardia, and agitation, but these are seen with acute caffeine ingestion--toxicity and overdose, not the amounts we are discussing here. Doses seen in the aforementioned victims who suffered those adverse effects are 20 to 60 times greater than the required ergogenic dose of caffeine.

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I think its an invaluable tool for prioritizing.

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I agree, OldSchool!

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If you're only supplementing 1-2 times/week( if even that ) you could get away with 100 mg.

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That is the dosage I use. Many of the research journals (J Appl Physiol., Braz J Med Biol Res., Med. Sci. Sports Exerc.) use 3-6 mg/kg of body weight in their studies, and it is suggested that 5 mg/kg of body weight is necessary to see performance effect (Collomp, K., S. Ahmaidi, J.C. Chatard, M. Audran, and C. Prefaut. Benefits of caffeine ingestion on sprint performance in trained and untrained swimmers. Eur. J. Appl. Physiol. Occup. Physiol. 64:377–380. 1992). I once tried 3 mg/kg and it was too much for me (disturbed my sleep that night and made me feel a bit anxious). So if you are a non coffee (or any other caffeinated beverage) drinker like me, I would suggest starting with very conservative supplementation.