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Nutritional Ergogenic Aids in Combat Sports: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Nutrients
January 1, 1970
Néstor Vicente-Salar et al. (3 authors)
Journal ArticleMeta-AnalysisReviewSystematic ReviewHuman Study
Extracted Claims (5)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
caffeine (5-10 mg/kg)
increase
use of glycolytic pathways for energy production during high-intensity actions
combat sports athletes
-
showed strong evidence for its use in combat sports to enhance
#1
caffeine (5-10 mg/kg)
increase
blood lactate levels
combat sports athletes
-
due to a greater production of and tolerance to
#2
caffeine (5-10 mg/kg)
increase
abilities including the number of attacks, reaction time, handgrip strength, power and TTE, among others
combat sports athletes
-
were improved
#3
buffering supplements such as sodium bicarbonate, sodium citrate and beta-alanine
increase
high and intermittent exertion during combat
combat sports athletes
-
may have a promising role in
#4
caffeine
increase
performance enhancement in combat sports
combat sports athletes
-
is the only NEA that has shown strong evidence for
#5
Abstract

Nutritional ergogenic aids (NEAs) are substances included within the group of sports supplements. Although they are widely consumed by athletes, evidence-based analysis is required to support training outcomes or competitive performance in specific disciplines. Combat sports have a predominant use of anaerobic metabolism as a source of energy, reaching peak exertion or sustained effort for very short periods of time. In this context, the use of certain NEAs could help athletes to improve their performance in those specific combat skills (i.e., the number of attacks, throws and hits; jump height; and grip strength, among others) as well as in general physical aspects (time to exhaustion [TTE], power, fatigue perception, heart rate, use of anaerobic metabolism, etc.). Medline/PubMed, Scopus and EBSCO were searched from their inception to May 2022 for randomised controlled trials (RCTs). Out of 677 articles found, 55 met the predefined inclusion criteria. Among all the studied NEAs, caffeine (5-10 mg/kg) showed strong evidence for its use in combat sports to enhance the use of glycolytic pathways for energy production during high-intensity actions due to a greater production of and tolerance to blood lactate levels. In this regard, abilities including the number of attacks, reaction time, handgrip strength, power and TTE, among others, were improved. Buffering supplements such as sodium bicarbonate, sodium citrate and beta-alanine may have a promising role in high and intermittent exertion during combat, but more studies are needed in grappling combat sports to confirm their efficacy during sustained isometric exertion. Other NEAs, including creatine, beetroot juice or glycerol, need further investigation to strengthen the evidence for performance enhancement in combat sports. Caffeine is the only NEA that has shown strong evidence for performance enhancement in combat sports.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
AthletesAthletic PerformanceCaffeineDietary SupplementsHumansPerformance-Enhancing SubstancesSports Nutritional Physiological Phenomena
Study Links
Citation Metrics
Total Citations8
Citations/Year2.7
Relative Citation Ratio1.37
NIH Percentile62%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.75
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