Caffeine and Exercise: What the Sports Science Actually Shows

Educational content only — not medical advice or personalised sports-nutrition advice. Caffeine response varies, and higher research doses are not automatically appropriate for everyday use. Consider total daily intake, sleep and individual sensitivity.

The short answer: caffeine is one of the best-studied performance-supporting ingredients in sports nutrition. The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) concludes that caffeine can acutely improve several aspects of exercise performance in many people, particularly aerobic endurance, with evidence also supporting some benefits for muscular endurance, movement velocity and strength. Results vary by person, exercise type, dose and timing.

Why caffeine is studied in sport

Caffeine affects the central nervous system, including by blocking adenosine receptors. In exercise, that can influence alertness, perceived effort and performance. It is not a source of muscular energy in the way carbohydrate is; it changes signalling and perception in ways that can help some athletes perform better.

What the ISSN position stand says

The 2021 ISSN position stand reviewed a large body of research and concluded that caffeine supplementation has been shown to acutely enhance various aspects of exercise performance. Aerobic endurance has the most consistent evidence, while benefits have also been reported for muscular endurance, movement velocity, muscular strength, sprinting, jumping and sport-specific actions.

Importantly, the response is not uniform. Some people see meaningful improvements, some see little change, and a minority may perform worse because of side effects such as jitters, gastrointestinal discomfort or disrupted sleep.

What doses are used in sports research?

Many sports studies use approximately 3–6mg of caffeine per kilogram of body mass. For a 70kg adult, that corresponds to about 210–420mg — which illustrates why research protocols should not be copied casually. The upper end overlaps or exceeds the general 400mg/day reference cited by the FDA and EFSA.

These are study doses, not a recommendation to take more caffeine. Lower doses can still affect alertness, and the smallest effective amount is generally the more practical approach for everyday users.

Timing depends on the format

Traditional capsule studies often use caffeine around 60 minutes before exercise. Delivery format changes that timing. Caffeinated chewing gum releases caffeine into saliva while it is chewed, with some oral absorption and some swallowed absorption, so researchers often use it much closer to exercise.

A 2022 meta-analysis found caffeinated gum was associated with performance improvements when consumed within 15 minutes of exercise in the included studies. A newer 2026 meta-analysis specifically examining muscular outcomes found small positive effects on muscular strength and jump height when caffeinated gum was consumed roughly 5–25 minutes before exercise.

That does not mean every gum, dose or person will reproduce those findings. See How Fast Does Caffeine Gum Work? for the absorption research.

What the 2026 caffeine-gum meta-analysis found

Varovic and Grgic pooled 21 studies of caffeinated chewing gum. Their analysis found:

• a small positive effect on muscular strength overall
• small positive effects for both dynamic and isometric strength
• a small positive effect on jump height overall
• no statistically significant pooled effect on muscular endurance

This is a useful update because it is more specific than saying “caffeine gum improves everything”. The evidence is positive in some performance domains and mixed or non-significant in others.

Caffeine gum is a delivery format, not a different stimulant

The active stimulant is still caffeine. The practical difference is that gum can offer a measured amount, rapid release and no need for a drink. That can make it attractive when timing is tight, but the performance effect ultimately depends on the caffeine dose and the person.

AVYSERA Energy & Drive contains 40mg natural caffeine per piece, paired with 60mg L-theanine plus vitamins B6 and B12. That is much lower than many sport-lab caffeine protocols. AVYSERA should be used according to its directions, not scaled up to chase research doses.

Does L-theanine improve exercise performance?

L-theanine is better studied with caffeine for attention and subjective alertness than for exercise performance itself. AVYSERA includes the pairing because of that cognitive research, not because L-theanine is a proven ergogenic ingredient.

Read Caffeine + L-Theanine for the evidence.

Sleep can outweigh any pre-workout benefit

Caffeine can improve a training session and still be a poor trade if it damages sleep. Sleep supports recovery, learning, mood and subsequent training quality. EFSA notes that even 100mg close to bedtime may affect sleep in some adults.

For evening training, the timing decision matters as much as the workout itself. If caffeine interferes with your sleep, reducing or skipping it may be the better performance strategy over the week.

Who should be cautious?

People with caffeine sensitivity, relevant health conditions or medicines that interact with caffeine should seek appropriate advice. During pregnancy or breastfeeding, caffeine intake deserves individual discussion with a health professional. AVYSERA is intended for adults.

Frequently asked questions

Does caffeine improve workout performance?

In many people, yes. The strongest evidence is for endurance, with research also supporting some strength, power and sport-specific outcomes. Individual response varies.

How much caffeine do sports studies use?

Many studies use around 3–6mg/kg, but those are research protocols, not a recommendation for everyday dosing. Higher amounts increase the chance of side effects and can collide with daily safety guidance.

Does caffeine gum work for exercise?

Meta-analyses report small positive effects in several performance outcomes. A 2026 review found benefits for muscular strength and jump height but not a significant pooled benefit for muscular endurance.

How close to exercise is caffeine gum used in research?

Studies often use gum shortly before exercise. The 2026 meta-analysis described intake roughly 5–25 minutes before exercise.

Should I take more AVYSERA pieces to reach a sports-study dose?

No. Sports-study doses should not be used as directions for a consumer product. Use AVYSERA according to its labelled directions and keep total caffeine from all sources in mind.

Bottom line

Caffeine has substantial sports-science support, but the useful message is not “more is better”. Performance effects depend on the task, person, dose and timing. Caffeine gum is interesting because it can deliver caffeine rapidly and conveniently, and current meta-analyses show small benefits in some exercise outcomes.

For gum-specific timing, continue with Pre-workout Gum.

References

1. Guest NS, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: caffeine and exercise performance. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2021. PMC.
2. Barreto G, et al. Effects of caffeine chewing gum supplementation on exercise performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis. European Journal of Sport Science. 2023. PubMed.
3. Varovic D, Grgic J. Fast-Acting Caffeine: Does Caffeinated Chewing Gum Enhance Muscular Strength, Endurance, and Jumping Performance? J Strength Cond Res. 2026. PubMed.
4. European Food Safety Authority. Caffeine. EFSA.