Acute Effects of Caffeine on Overall Performance in Basketball Players—A Systematic Review

Abstract

Caffeine supplementation has become increasingly popular among athletes. The benefits of caffeine include delaying the negative effects of fatigue, maintaining a high level of physical and mental performance, and improving certain abilities necessary for sport success. Given the complex nature of basketball, caffeine could be a legal, ergogenic stimulant substance, which will positively affect overall basketball performance. The purpose of this systematic review was to summarize evidence for the effect of acute caffeine ingestion on variables related to the basketball performance. Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus and ProQuest, MEDLINE, and ERIC databases were searched up to February 2021. Studies that measured the acute effect of caffeine on basketball performance were included and analyzed. Eight studies published between 2000 and 2021 were included in the analysis. Pre-exercise caffeine intake increased vertical jump height, running time at 10 and 20 m without the ball, overall basketball performance (number of body impacts, number of free throws, rebounds, and assists) during simulated games, and reduced the time required to perform a basketball-specific agility test. Equivocal results between caffeine and placebo groups were found for aerobic capacity, free throw and three-point accuracy, and dribbling speed. Pre-exercise caffeine ingestion did not affect RPE, but insomnia and urinary excretion were increased. The pre-exercise ingestion of 3 and 6 mg/kg caffeine was found to be effective in increasing several physical performance variables in basketball players during sport-specific testing and simulated matches. However, considering the intermittent nature and complexity of basketball, and individual differences between players, future studies are needed.

The Effect of Acute Pre-Workout Supplement Ingestion on Basketball-Specific Performance of Well-Trained Athletes

“…Caffeine can act as an adenosine antagonist [ 1 ], which reduces adenosine’s capacity to downregulate central nervous system arousal [ 60 ], and increase muscle fibers’ firing rates [ 61 ]. In contrast to the results of the present study, it has been reported that caffeine, when ingested prior to training sessions, could lead to significant but minor improvements in 10 m and 20 m sprinting performance in basketball players [ 7 ]. The above differences could be attributed to the fact that the effect of caffeine on athletes’ performance is not constant.…”

“…Acute caffeine consumption improves jumping performance by enhancing athletes’ ability to produce greater peak force and rate of force development during a counter-movement jump [ 59 ]. Indeed, Lazić et al [ 7 ], in a recent meta-analysis, reported that the consumption of caffeine seems to be effective in the acute improvement of vertical jump performance in basketball players. On the other hand, it appears that acute consumption of creatine, β-alanine, citrulline malate or BCAAs has little to no influence on peak force and rate of force development in the absence of chronic loading or acute consumption associated with jumping height [ 23 ].…”

“…Numerous studies have reported athletes’ readiness and performance improvement after the consumption of caffeine (3–6 mg/kg body mass) [ 1 ], creatine (3–5 g) [ 2 ], β-alanine (4–6 g) [ 3 ], nitric oxide agents (e.g., citrulline malate (6–8 g)) [ 4 ] or amino acids (usually branched chained amino acids (BCAAs) (~5.6–20.0 g)) [ 5 , 6 ], before or during training or competition [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ]. Caffeine (a nervous system stimulant) blocks adenosine receptors and is involved in motor unit firing rates, pain attenuation, and fatigue delay [ 1 ].…”

“…Therefore, the present study aimed to examine the acute effects of a PWS, containing 200 mg caffeine, 3.3 g creatine monohydrate, 3.2 g β-alanine, 6 g citrulline malate and 5 g BCAA per dose, on jumping, sprinting, agility, and aerobic and anaerobic performance in well-trained basketball players. The PWS dosage consisted of the most common mix of ingredients reported in the literature, with the intention to remain within the effective dosage range of each ingredient [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ] and under 100 kcal/serving to avoid any gastrointestinal discomfort during exercise. It was hypothesized that sprinting, jumping, agility, and anaerobic performance would increase acutely after this PWS blend’s consumption.…”

Placebo Effect of Caffeine on Physiological Parameters and Physical Performance

“…The ergogenic effect of caffeine could appear when consumed in doses of 3-6 mg/kg body mass [10,11]. Moreover, it is suggested that 60 min pre-exercise could be the optimal timing due the plasma concentration peak [12].…”