ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the effects of alcohol on performance, since alcohol (ethanol) is legally a drug and may cause disqualification in certain athletic competitions. Ethanol is a normal bodily and dietary component and thus cannot be ignored. Blood alcohol levels of 0.10 percent or greater are considered in legal terms as intoxication. Thus, overwhelming evidence demonstrates that ethanol intoxication adversely affects physical performance. Caffeine ingestion increased plasma free fatty acids concentration significantly when compared to control, exercised groups in six of nine studies. Excessive amounts of caffeine (over five cups of coffee before a competition) may produce a urinary level sufficient for disqualification in events that test for doping. Although studies suggest that ferulate supplementation appears promising as a possible nutritional alternative to anabolic steroid use for weightlifters, further research is necessary to define potential dose-response effects. Succinic acid is a component of the Krebs cycle, and as such is added to several dietary supplements with accompanying claims of ergogenesis.
