Panacea Index Logo

Command Palette

Search for a command to run...

Caffeine and sprinting performance: dose responses and efficacy.

Journal of strength and conditioning research
April 1, 2012
Mark Glaister et al. (6 authors)
Journal ArticleRandomized Controlled TrialResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tHuman StudyClinical
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to evaluate the effects of caffeine supplementation on sprint cycling performance and determine if there was a dose-response effect.

Results Summary

Caffeine supplementation had no significant effect on peak power, mean power, or time to peak power in short-duration sprint cycling, regardless of dosage. Larger caffeine doses produced higher post-supplementation plasma caffeine levels, but no performance benefits were observed.

Population

17 well-trained men (age: 24 ± 6 years, height: 1.82 ± 0.06 m, body mass: 82.2 ± 6.9 kg).

Effective Dosage

2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 mg·kg body mass⁻¹.

Duration

Single-dose administration 1 hour before each sprint trial.

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (7)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
caffeine supplementation
no change
peak power
17 well-trained men
p = 0.11
had no significant effect
#1
caffeine supplementation
no change
mean power
17 well-trained men
p = 0.55
had no significant effect
#2
caffeine supplementation
no change
time to peak power
17 well-trained men
p = 0.17
had no significant effect
#3
caffeine supplementation
no change
pretrial blood lactate
17 well-trained men
p = 0.58
no significant effect
#4
caffeine supplementation
no change
short-duration sprint cycling performance
17 well-trained men
-
has no effect
#5
larger caffeine doses
increase
postsupplementation plasma caffeine levels
17 well-trained men
p < 0.001
producing higher
#6
-
decrease
blood lactate
17 well-trained men
from 1.29 ± 0.36 to 1.06 ± 0.33 mmol·L(-1)
reducing
#7
Abstract

The aims of this study were to evaluate the effects of caffeine supplementation on sprint cycling performance and to determine if there was a dose-response effect. Using a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design, 17 well-trained men (age: 24 ± 6 years, height: 1.82 ± 0.06 m, and body mass(bm): 82.2 ± 6.9 kg) completed 7 maximal 10-second sprint trials on an electromagnetically braked cycle ergometer. Apart from trial 1 (familiarization), all the trials involved subjects ingesting a gelatine capsule containing either caffeine or placebo (maltodextrin) 1 hour before each sprint. To examine dose-response effects, caffeine doses of 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 mg·kg bm(-1) were used. There were no significant (p ≥ 0.05) differences in baseline measures of plasma caffeine concentration before each trial (grand mean: 0.14 ± 0.28 μg·ml(-1)). There was, however, a significant supplement × time interaction (p < 0.001), with larger caffeine doses producing higher postsupplementation plasma caffeine levels. In comparison with placebo, caffeine had no significant effect on peak power (p = 0.11), mean power (p = 0.55), or time to peak power (p = 0.17). There was also no significant effect of supplementation on pretrial blood lactate (p = 0.58), but there was a significant time effect (p = 0.001), with blood lactate reducing over the 50 minute postsupplementation rest period from 1.29 ± 0.36 to 1.06 ± 0.33 mmol·L(-1). The results of this study show that caffeine supplementation has no effect on short-duration sprint cycling performance, irrespective of the dosage used.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
AdolescentAdultAthletic PerformanceBicyclingCaffeineCentral Nervous System StimulantsDose-Response Relationship, DrugDouble-Blind MethodHumansLactic AcidMaleMuscle StrengthMuscle, SkeletalYoung Adult
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy15/10
Quality85/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations14
Citations/Year1.1
Relative Citation Ratio0.70
NIH Percentile37.6%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.50
Weight Score1.44
Normalized Score0.43
Related Supplements