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Effect of Caffeine Supplementation on Sports Performance Based on Differences Between Sexes: A Systematic Review.

Nutrients
January 1, 1970
Juan Mielgo-Ayuso et al. (6 authors)
Journal ArticleSystematic ReviewHuman Study
Extracted Claims (9)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
caffeine supplementation
no change
aerobic performance
men and women athletes
-
had not found differences between sexes
#1
caffeine supplementation
no change
fatigue index
men and women athletes
-
had not found differences between sexes
#2
caffeine supplementation
increase
anaerobic performance
men athletes
-
ergogenicity was higher in men than women
#3
caffeine supplementation
increase
power
men
-
able to produce more power
#4
caffeine supplementation
increase
total weight lifted
men
-
greater total weight lifted
#5
caffeine supplementation
increase
speed
men
-
more speed
#6
caffeine supplementation
increase
power
men athletes
-
effects to produce more power was higher in men than women
#7
caffeine supplementation
increase
total weight lifted
men athletes
-
effects to produce total weight lifted was higher in men than women
#8
caffeine supplementation
increase
sprint performance
men athletes
-
effects to improve sprint performance was higher in men than women
#9
Abstract

Most studies that have shown the positive effects of caffeine supplementation on sports performance have been carried out on men. However, the differences between sexes are evident in terms of body size, body composition, and hormonal functioning, which might cause different outcomes on performance for the same dosage of caffeine intake in men vs. women. The main aim of this systematic review was to analyze and compare the effects of caffeine intake between men and women on sports performance to provide a source of knowledge to sports practitioners and coaches, especially for those working with women athletes, on the use of caffeine as an ergogenic aid. A structured search was carried out following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines in the Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Scopus databases until 28 July 2019. The search included studies in which the effects of caffeine supplementation on athletic performance were compared between sexes and to an identical placebo situation (dose, duration and timing). No filters were applied for participants' physical fitness level or age. A total of 254 articles were obtained in the initial search. When applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, the final sample was 10 articles. The systematic review concluded that four investigations (100% of the number of investigations on this topic) had not found differences between sexes in terms of caffeine supplementation on aerobic performance and 3/3 (100%) on the fatigue index. However, four out of seven articles (57.1%) showed that the ergogenicity of caffeine for anaerobic performance was higher in men than women. In particular, it seems that men are able to produce more power, greater total weight lifted and more speed with the same dose of caffeine than women. In summary, caffeine supplementation produced a similar ergogenic benefit for aerobic performance and the fatigue index in men and women athletes. Nevertheless, the effects of caffeine to produce more power, total weight lifted and to improve sprint performance with respect to a placebo was higher in men than women athletes despite the same dose of caffeine being administered. Thus, the ergogenic effect of acute caffeine intake on anaerobic performance might be higher in men than in women.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
AdultCaffeineDietary SupplementsFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedMuscle ContractionMuscle StrengthMuscle, SkeletalPerformance-Enhancing SubstancesPhysical EnduranceSex FactorsTime FactorsTreatment OutcomeYoung Adult
Study Links
Citation Metrics
Total Citations73
Citations/Year12.2
Relative Citation Ratio6.22
NIH Percentile95.1%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.95
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