A Comparison of Caffeine versus Pseudoephedrine on Cycling Time-Trial Performance

Abstract

Both caffeine (CAF) and pseudoephedrine (PSE) are proposed to be central nervous system stimulants. However, during competition, CAF is a permitted substance, whereas PSE is a banned substance at urinary levels >150 μg · ml(-1). As a result, this study aimed to compare the effect of CAF versus PSE use on cycling time trial (TT) performance to explore whether the legal stimulant was any less ergogenic than the banned substance. Here, 10 well-trained male cyclists or triathletes were recruited for participation. All athletes were required to attend the laboratory on four separate occasions--including a familiarization trial and three experimental trials, which required participants to complete a simulated 40 km (1,200 kJ) cycling TT after the ingestion of either 200 mg CAF, 180 mg PSE or a nonnutritive placebo (PLA). The results showed that the total time taken and the mean power produced during each TT was not significantly different (p > .05) between trials, despite a 1.3% faster overall time (~57 s) after CAF consumption. Interestingly, the time taken to complete the second half of the TT was significantly faster (p < .05) in CAF as compared with PSE (by 99 s), with magnitude based inferences suggesting a 91% beneficial effect of CAF during the second half of the TT. This investigation further confirms the ergogenic benefits of CAF use during TT performances and further suggests this legal CNS stimulant has a better influence than a supra-therapeutic dose of PSE.

Acute effects of caffeine intake on athletic performance: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…This allowed for the development of strategies during the test to finish in the shortest possible time, preventing the athlete from reaching exhaustion. On the other hand, although different doses of caffeine were used, there were similarities in the methodologies applied by Bortolotti et al 5 , Acker-Hewitt et al 21 , and Spence et al 22 . In these three studies, participants ingested caffeine 60 minutes before the test and were instructed not to ingest any food or drink that might contain caffeine 48 hours before testing.…”

“…In the articles evaluated in the current study, it is possible that the subjects had low sensitivity to caffeine, which would require a longer period of abstinence and/or an increase in the dosage used. In particular, in Spence et al 22 , subjects were consumers of caffeine; thus, the dosage of 2.5 mg/kg of body weight used may be considered low. In fact, Warren et al 31 indicated in their meta-analysis that the commonly used caffeine dosage was 4-6 mg/kg of body weight.…”

“…Four of these studies used a caffeine dosage of 6 mg/kg of body weight 5,[18][19][20] , two studies used a caffeine dosage of 3 mg/kg of body weight 21,4 and one study used an intake fixed dose of 200 mg of caffeine (~2.5 mg/kg of body weight) 22 . Desbrow et al 18 and Irwin et al 4 evaluated the shortest time to reach a target amount of work among cyclists.…”

“…Desbrow et al 18 and Irwin et al 4 evaluated the shortest time to reach a target amount of work among cyclists. Bortolotti et al 5 and Acker-Hewitt et al 21 applied a distance of 20 km, whereas Spence et al 22 , Skinner et al 20 and Womack et al 19 used a distance of 40 km. The studies showed an improvement in time trial performance among the subjects who ingested caffeine (effect size= -0.40, p< 0.01, interpretation: small; Figure 4).…”

The Effect of Ergogenic Supplements and Mediterranean Diet on Cycling Performance. Differences According to Duration and Intensity.

“…There are many studies suggesting that caffeine improves power and endurance compared to placebo or other supplements [26,29,35,54,57,81]. A moderate dose of caffeine significantly improves performance DOI 10.18502/ajne.v2i1.1242…”