Myth #2: Energy Drinks Enhance Athletic Speed

By: Rachel Bui

Can energy drinks make you run at the speed of light? From the track field to the basketball court, energy drinks are marketed to the youth as a weapon for speed. Is that burst of quickness coming from a specific formula, or is it just caffeine being caffeine?

When taking research information from a set of various experiments, provided by the article "Common Questions and Misconceptions About Energy Drinks: What Does the Scientific Evidence Really Show?," it showed a wide variety of answers, but we will break it down together.

Research states that...

• Speed benefits mostly come from caffeine

studies on speed

• "predominantly, and unsurprisingly, focuses on caffeine content (Antonio, et al, 2024)."

Speed Improvements with Higher Doses

• Energy Drinks improved speed when there were more than 3 mg of caffeine per kilogram of body weight

• there were much improvements in the "performance metrics for soccer, rugby, field hockey, and tennis players, including greater distances covered at high intensities, increased running speeds, and better overall performance...(Antonio, et al, 2024)."

Speed Improvements with Lower Doses

• Energy Drinks do NOT improve speed with lower doses

  • "a low caffeine intake via consumption of a 250 mL Red Bull (containing 80 mg caffeine (relative: 1.3 mg·kg⁻¹ body mass [BM])), 1 h pre-exercise) had no impact on repeated sprint time in female soccer players (Antonio, et al, 2024)."

Is it a Myth or not?

In conclusion, speed is only improved with high doses of caffeine, as lower doses don't make a large impact. Results can vary among people, but in the end, the main factors are training, practice, and rest that will help you improve your speed.