No effects of caffeine on cycling to exhaustion and perceptual responses in non-caffeine-restricted subjects
Introduction Caffeine has been shown to improve endurance performance probably primary due to its pharmacological effects in the central nervous system modifying, among others, the perceptual responses during exercise. However, most studies proving the performance-enhancing effects of caffeine utili...
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Taylor & Francis Group
2025-12-01
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| Series: | Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition |
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| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/15502783.2025.2534131 |
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| author | Matthias Weippert Martin Behrens Martin Schlegel Tom Schröder Moritz Tillmann Nelly Rühe Robert Römer Anett Mau-Möller Sven Bruhn |
| author_facet | Matthias Weippert Martin Behrens Martin Schlegel Tom Schröder Moritz Tillmann Nelly Rühe Robert Römer Anett Mau-Möller Sven Bruhn |
| author_sort | Matthias Weippert |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction Caffeine has been shown to improve endurance performance probably primary due to its pharmacological effects in the central nervous system modifying, among others, the perceptual responses during exercise. However, most studies proving the performance-enhancing effects of caffeine utilized an experimental caffeine restriction phase prior to the measurement sessions. Therefore, the effects of 2.5 and 6 mg*kg−1 oral caffeine ingestion on endurance performance, perceptual, affective, and cognitive responses during exercise, as well as time perception, were investigated in participants following their normal “ad libitum” daily diet.Methods Two double-blinded, randomized placebo-controlled cross-over studies were performed to test the effect of 2.5 (N = 35, age: 23.3 ± 3.5 years, habitual caffeine consumption of 106 ± 89 mg*day−1) and 6.0 mg*kg−1 (N = 21, age: 21.2 ± 2.3 years, habitual caffeine consumption of 87 ± 64 mg*day−1) oral caffeine ingestion on time to exhaustion (TTE), perceived fatigue, perceptual-discriminatory (effort perception, physical strain), affective-motivational (affective valence, arousal, dominance, motivation, boredom), and cognitive-evaluative responses (decisional conflict, attentional focus) as well as time perception (time production and estimation) and heart rate during cycling at 65% peak power. Participants were low-to-moderate caffeine consumers (one participant in each study reported no habitual caffeine intake) and asked to follow their regular “ad libitum” diet without any restrictions regarding caffeinated beverages and/or food during the studies.Results Neither a dose of 2.5 nor of 6.0 mg*kg−1 was found to be superior to placebo with respect to TTE, perceived fatigue, the perceptual-discriminatory, affective-motivational, and cognitive-evaluative responses to exercise, as well as time perception.Conclusion Both dosages of caffeine had no effect on TTE, perceived fatigue, perceptual-discriminatory, affective-motivational, and cognitive-evaluative responses to exercise, as well as on time perception and heart rate in low-to-moderate caffeine consumers without a prior experimental caffeine restriction phase. The findings suggest that caffeine´s positive effects on endurance performance and perceptual responses to exercise found in previous studies might be partly explained by the reversal of adverse effects induced by a prior caffeine restriction phase. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c6568bb901c747a9adae0f4c1532523c |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1550-2783 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
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| series | Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition |
| spelling | doaj-art-c6568bb901c747a9adae0f4c1532523c2025-08-20T03:32:54ZengTaylor & Francis GroupJournal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition1550-27832025-12-0122110.1080/15502783.2025.2534131No effects of caffeine on cycling to exhaustion and perceptual responses in non-caffeine-restricted subjectsMatthias Weippert0Martin Behrens1Martin Schlegel2Tom Schröder3Moritz Tillmann4Nelly Rühe5Robert Römer6Anett Mau-Möller7Sven Bruhn8University of Rostock, Institute of Sport Science, Rostock, GermanyUniversity of Applied Sciences for Sport and Management Potsdam, Potsdam, GermanyUniversity of Rostock, Institute of Sport Science, Rostock, GermanyUniversity of Rostock, Institute of Sport Science, Rostock, GermanyUniversity of Rostock, Institute of Sport Science, Rostock, GermanyUniversity of Rostock, Institute of Sport Science, Rostock, GermanyUniversity of Rostock, Institute of Sport Science, Rostock, GermanyUniversity of Rostock, Institute of Sport Science, Rostock, GermanyUniversity of Rostock, Institute of Sport Science, Rostock, GermanyIntroduction Caffeine has been shown to improve endurance performance probably primary due to its pharmacological effects in the central nervous system modifying, among others, the perceptual responses during exercise. However, most studies proving the performance-enhancing effects of caffeine utilized an experimental caffeine restriction phase prior to the measurement sessions. Therefore, the effects of 2.5 and 6 mg*kg−1 oral caffeine ingestion on endurance performance, perceptual, affective, and cognitive responses during exercise, as well as time perception, were investigated in participants following their normal “ad libitum” daily diet.Methods Two double-blinded, randomized placebo-controlled cross-over studies were performed to test the effect of 2.5 (N = 35, age: 23.3 ± 3.5 years, habitual caffeine consumption of 106 ± 89 mg*day−1) and 6.0 mg*kg−1 (N = 21, age: 21.2 ± 2.3 years, habitual caffeine consumption of 87 ± 64 mg*day−1) oral caffeine ingestion on time to exhaustion (TTE), perceived fatigue, perceptual-discriminatory (effort perception, physical strain), affective-motivational (affective valence, arousal, dominance, motivation, boredom), and cognitive-evaluative responses (decisional conflict, attentional focus) as well as time perception (time production and estimation) and heart rate during cycling at 65% peak power. Participants were low-to-moderate caffeine consumers (one participant in each study reported no habitual caffeine intake) and asked to follow their regular “ad libitum” diet without any restrictions regarding caffeinated beverages and/or food during the studies.Results Neither a dose of 2.5 nor of 6.0 mg*kg−1 was found to be superior to placebo with respect to TTE, perceived fatigue, the perceptual-discriminatory, affective-motivational, and cognitive-evaluative responses to exercise, as well as time perception.Conclusion Both dosages of caffeine had no effect on TTE, perceived fatigue, perceptual-discriminatory, affective-motivational, and cognitive-evaluative responses to exercise, as well as on time perception and heart rate in low-to-moderate caffeine consumers without a prior experimental caffeine restriction phase. The findings suggest that caffeine´s positive effects on endurance performance and perceptual responses to exercise found in previous studies might be partly explained by the reversal of adverse effects induced by a prior caffeine restriction phase.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/15502783.2025.2534131withdrawal reversal hypothesisefforttime to exhaustionendurance performancefatiguetime perception |
| spellingShingle | Matthias Weippert Martin Behrens Martin Schlegel Tom Schröder Moritz Tillmann Nelly Rühe Robert Römer Anett Mau-Möller Sven Bruhn No effects of caffeine on cycling to exhaustion and perceptual responses in non-caffeine-restricted subjects Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition withdrawal reversal hypothesis effort time to exhaustion endurance performance fatigue time perception |
| title | No effects of caffeine on cycling to exhaustion and perceptual responses in non-caffeine-restricted subjects |
| title_full | No effects of caffeine on cycling to exhaustion and perceptual responses in non-caffeine-restricted subjects |
| title_fullStr | No effects of caffeine on cycling to exhaustion and perceptual responses in non-caffeine-restricted subjects |
| title_full_unstemmed | No effects of caffeine on cycling to exhaustion and perceptual responses in non-caffeine-restricted subjects |
| title_short | No effects of caffeine on cycling to exhaustion and perceptual responses in non-caffeine-restricted subjects |
| title_sort | no effects of caffeine on cycling to exhaustion and perceptual responses in non caffeine restricted subjects |
| topic | withdrawal reversal hypothesis effort time to exhaustion endurance performance fatigue time perception |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/15502783.2025.2534131 |
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