The caffeine in that morning cup of coffee could help improve athletic endurance, a new study finds.

Previous research has focused on caffeine alone as an aid to improve athletic endurance performance but Simon Higgins, a University of Georgia doctoral student, wanted to find out if caffeinated coffee has that effect as well.

He reviewed more than 600 scholarly articles, screening them for those that focused on only caffeinated-coffee conditions. Of these, he discovered nine randomized control trials that specifically evaluated coffee to prove endurance.

In the nine trials, participants either cycled or ran after drinking coffee. They then exercised vigorously and the results were measured. In a majority of cases, endurance was noticeably improved after the use of coffee.

When researching the effects of caffeine from coffee, Higgins found two important discoveries: that caffeine from coffee has ergogenic benefits—that it enhances physical performance—and that more research is needed on the use of caffeine from coffee versus pure caffeine use.

The researcher also warned that the amount of caffeine in brewed coffee may vary widely from 75 mg to more than 150, depending on the variety and how it’s roasted and brewed.

The study appears in this month’s issue of the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism.