A Menthol-Enhanced “Cooling” Energy Gel Does Not Influence Laboratory Time Trial Performance in Trained Runners

Abstract

l-menthol (menthol) is an organic compound derived from peppermint which imparts a refreshing mint flavor and aroma to oral hygiene products, chewing gum, and topical analgesics. Menthol has been identified as a non-thermal sensory cooling strategy for athletes when ingested or mouth-rinsed during exercise in hot environments. Therefore, sports nutrition products delivering a controlled concentration of menthol could be beneficial for athletes exercising in the heat. We sought to test the performance and perceptual outcomes of a novel menthol energy gel during treadmill running in the heat (33 °C, 49% RH). Fourteen trained runners (mean ± SD; age: 31 ± 6 years, VO2max: 56.5 ± 10.1 mL·kg−1·min−1, BMI: 23.2 ± 2.4 kg/m2; six female) participated in a randomized, crossover, double-blind, and placebo-controlled study. A menthol-enhanced energy gel (0.5% concentration; MEN) or flavor-matched placebo (PLA) was ingested 5 min before and again at 20 and 40 min of a 40 min treadmill exercise preload at 60% VO2max, followed by a 20 min self-paced time trial. The total distance, vertical distance, perceptual measures (thermal comfort, thermal sensation, rating of perceived exertion, and affect), and cognitive performance via computerized neurocognitive assessment were measured. No difference between 20 min self-paced time trial total distance (MEN: 4.22 ± 0.54 km, PLA: 4.22 ± 0.55 km, p = 0.867), vertical distance (MEN: 49.2 ± 24.6 m, PLA: 44.4 ± 11.4 m, p = 0.516), or any perceptual measures was observed (all p > 0.05). Cognitive performance was not different between the trials (all p > 0.05). These results suggest that a menthol energy gel is not superior to a non-menthol gel in terms of performance or perception during treadmill running in the heat. More research is needed to confirm whether these findings translate to ecologically valid settings, including outdoor exercise in ambient heat and during competition.

Placebo and Nocebo Effects on Sports and Exercise Performance: A Systematic Literature Review Update

“…In contrast, Vogel et al [24] reported that the menthol effect was negligible or trivial for the total distance covered during the 20 min time trial running performance measure in the menthol-enhanced energy gel condition (Cohen's d = 0.0). No significant differences emerged, and the menthol gel was inferior to a placebo gel.…”

“…Most studies used a within-participant design, except for three employing betweenparticipants [21,28,34]. Fifteen studies examined the placebo and nocebo effects of nutritional ergogenic aids [18][19][20][21]23,24,[26][27][28][29]31,[33][34][35][36]. At the same time, four focused on mechanical ergogenic aids [22,25,30,37], and one study investigated the open-label placebo [32] (see Table 3).…”

“…At the same time, four focused on mechanical ergogenic aids [22,25,30,37], and one study investigated the open-label placebo [32] (see Table 3). Finally, fifteen included studies examined healthy participants [19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][29][30][31][32][33]35] (n = 397). One study sampled untrained males [28] (n = 14), another tested paralympic athletes [36] (n = 4), and two examined children; one tested elite child athletes [18] (n = 12), and another worked with children affected by obesity [34] (n = 24).…”

“…In two studies, the researchers reported the placebo effect of a mint (Tic Tac) and menthol gel [18,24]. Szabo [18] showed that a Tic Tac could enhance elite child athletes' objective kayak sprint performance through belief manipulation by the coach and a role model actor.…”

“…Out of 20 included studies, 4 studies measured the participants' running performance [19,24,33,34]. One study measured the kayaking performance of elite athlete children [18].…”