Do you feel pain after exercise? Have a cup of coffee

Drinking coffee can help many people relieve physical pain caused by excessive exercise, according to a study.

The study found that moderate caffeine intake, which is roughly equivalent to drinking two cups of coffee, reduced muscle soreness by 48 percent. The University of Georgia researchers caution, however, that the findings may not hold true for those who regularly consume caffeine because they are less sensitive to its effects.

The study appears in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management. The subjects were nine female college students who consumed caffeine infrequently and did not engage in regular physical training. Within a day or two of an exercise that caused moderate muscle soreness, volunteers did thigh strength exercises after taking caffeine or placebo.

The results showed that those who took caffeine experienced 48 percent less muscle pain than those who took a placebo when the thigh strength exercise was at its highest intensity, and 26 percent less when the exercise was at its lowest intensity. "If you can use caffeine to reduce pain, it's easier to transition from a low-intensity workout in the first week to a longer workout later," said study author Victor Maredax. The researchers point out that such findings may not apply to those who regularly drink coffee.

A physiologist at the British Society for Sport and Exercise Science said it was normal to feel sore after exercise and that it was actually a signal that muscles were responding to exercise. Caffeine is useful if it only relieves symptoms such as pain and does not cause other underlying pain, but caffeine also has diuretic effects, which may cause other problems.

He added that muscle soreness can also be helped by methods such as stretching, ice or massage. Roy Wilton, a spokesman for the British Coffee Association, said studies had shown coffee increased exercisers 'intensity and prolonged their exercise. But about the new study, she said: "It's interesting, but we shouldn't get too excited about it just yet. We can wait until more research comes out."