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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Caffeine is the wonder-drug that helps improve endurance exercise performance in men. However, less than 20 percent of all studies on such effects have included a woman. And, those studies including women have had mixed results. This is likely because those studies didn’t consider the influence of oral contraceptives on caffeine metabolism. In this new study, the scientists studied both women (11) and men (16) cyclists and triathletes. The women consumed amounts of caffeine equal to about one-two cups of espresso, while the men had about two-three cups of espresso (adjusted according to body weight). Subjects were given the caffeine before performing the same endurance cycling protocol. The investigators found that caffeine improved cycling performance by 4.3 percent in women and 4.6 percent in men. This equal benefit happened even though the women, who all were on an oral contraceptive pill, had higher levels of caffeine in their bloodstreams. These results suggest that caffeine consumed about an hour before exercise can equally improve exercise performance in both men and women. View the abstract or contact the investigator for more information.