How much caffeine can get you popped?

We bet you never thought your morning cup of Go Juice was strong enough to get you banned from a sport. It’s all natural, right? But it’s still a stimulant. So how much can get you banned?

The short answer is: none. But that didn’t used to be the case.

Today, Olympic athletes are permitted to drink a cup of Joe before competing. But between 1984-2004, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) banned high concentrations of caffeine from all Olympic events.

The use of caffeine was considered “prohibited” until 2004, but it was moved from the List of Prohibited Substances to the Monitoring Program of the World Anti-Doping Agency to control its use by monitoring urinary caffeine concentration after competition. There’s a big huge clinical study on it here, if you're interested.

However, as it stands today…

“Caffeine is permitted in sports governed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). It is currently on WADA’s monitoring list which means it is not prohibited but WADA is monitoring it in case it becomes an anti-doping issue in the future. However, there are limits to the amount of caffeine athletes can use in NCAA sanctioned events.” (usada.org)

So luckily, WADA says caffeine is ALL GOOD. You can drink as much as you want, and we fully support it. 

Here are a few of our favorites to get you started on your journey toward athletic greatness. OR, if you're not a fan of the sweet brown bean, Clearly Caffeine gives you the kick without the coffee.