Panacea Index Logo

Command Palette

Search for a command to run...

Effects of caffeine, methylliberine, and theacrine on vigilance, marksmanship, and hemodynamic responses in tactical personnel: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition
January 1, 2022
Harry P Cintineo et al. (6 authors)
Journal ArticleRandomized Controlled TrialHuman StudyClinical
Extracted Claims (11)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
caffeine
increase
fast reaction times, vigilance, marksmanship performance
-
-
has been shown to improve
#1
caffeine
increase
blood pressure and jitteriness
-
-
results in increased
#2
methylliberine and theacrine
no change
blood pressure or jitteriness
-
to the same extent
do not increase
#3
300 mg caffeine (CAF)
increase
vigilance RT
tactical personnel
-
improvements for
#4
combination of 150 mg caffeine, 100 mg methylliberine, and 50 mg theacrine (CMT)
increase
vigilance RT
tactical personnel
-
improvements for
#5
placebo (PLA)
no change
vigilance RT
tactical personnel
-
did not change
#6
300 mg caffeine (CAF)
no change
movement or marksmanship performance
tactical personnel
-
No Group main effects or Group-by-Time interactions were found for
#7
combination of 150 mg caffeine, 100 mg methylliberine, and 50 mg theacrine (CMT)
no change
movement or marksmanship performance
tactical personnel
-
No Group main effects or Group-by-Time interactions were found for
#8
300 mg caffeine (CAF)
increase
systolic blood pressure (SBP)
tactical personnel
-
higher
#9
300 mg caffeine (CAF)
increase
diastolic blood pressure (DBP)
tactical personnel
-
higher
#10
combination of 150 mg caffeine, 100 mg methylliberine, and 50 mg theacrine (CMT)
no change
DBP above PLA
tactical personnel
-
no significant rise in
#11
Abstract

BACKGROUND: Tactical athletes require fast reaction times (RT) along with high levels of vigilance and marksmanship performance. Caffeine has been shown to improve these measures but also results in increased blood pressure and jitteriness. Research on other purine alkaloids, such as methylliberine and theacrine, has suggested they do not increase blood pressure or jitteriness to the same extent, but their impact on tactical performance is unknown. METHODS: A between-subjects, randomized, placebo-controlled design was used to test the effects of placebo (PLA), 300 mg caffeine (CAF), and a combination of 150 mg caffeine, 100 mg methylliberine, and 50 mg theacrine (CMT) on RT and marksmanship along with hemodynamic and arousal measures following a sustained vigilance task in tactical personnel (n = 48). Following consumption of the supplement, participants underwent a 150-min protocol consisting of two rounds. Each round began with leisurely reading followed by a 30-min vigilance task before beginning two trials of movement and marksmanship tasks. Hemodynamics and felt arousal were assessed throughout the protocol. Composite Z-scores were calculated for overall performance measures at each timepoint, and mixed-effects models were used to assess differences in RT, accuracy, and composite Z-scores along with hemodynamics and felt arousal. An α-level of 0.05 was used to determine statistical significance, and Cohen's RESULTS: A Group-by-Time interaction for vigilance RT (P = 0.038) indicated improvements for both CAF and CMT from round 1 to round 2 (P < 0.01) while PLA did not change (P = 0.27). No Group main effects or Group-by-Time interactions were found for movement or marksmanship performance (P > 0.20). Group main effects for systolic (SBP; P = 0.001) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP; P = 0.028) indicated higher SBP in CAF (P = 0.003, CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest similar benefits on RT during a vigilance task between CAF, containing 300 mg caffeine, and CMT above PLA, though CAF resulted in slightly less favorable hemodynamic changes. This study is the first to provide data showing similar efficacy of combined caffeine, methylliberine, and theacrine compared to double the caffeine dose consumed alone on vigilance RT but without a significant rise in DBP above PLA in tactical personnel.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
AlkaloidsAthletic PerformanceCaffeineDouble-Blind MethodHeart RateHumansPolyestersPurinesUric Acid
Study Links
Citation Metrics
Total Citations4
Citations/Year1.3
Relative Citation Ratio0.85
NIH Percentile44.1%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.25
Related Supplements