Caffeine-containing energy drink improves physical performance in female soccer players

Abstract

There is little information about the effects of caffeine intake on female team-sport performance. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a caffeine-containing energy drink to improve physical performance in female soccer players during a simulated game. A double-blind, placebo controlled and randomized experimental design was used in this investigation. In two different sessions, 18 women soccer players ingested 3 mg of caffeine/kg in the form of an energy drink or an identical drink with no caffeine content (placebo). After 60 min, they performed a countermovement jump (CMJ) and a 7 × 30 m sprint test followed by a simulated soccer match (2 × 40 min). Individual running distance and speed were measured using GPS devices. In comparison to the placebo drink, the ingestion of the caffeinated energy drink increased the CMJ height (26.6 ± 4.0 vs 27.4 ± 3.8 cm; P < 0.05) and the average peak running speed during the sprint test (24.2 ± 1.6 vs 24.5 ± 1.7 km/h; P < 0.05). During the simulated match, the energy drink increased the total running distance (6,631 ± 1,618 vs 7,087 ± 1,501 m; P < 0.05), the number of sprints bouts (16 ± 9 vs 21 ± 13; P < 0.05) and the running distance covered at >18 km/h (161 ± 99 vs 216 ± 103 m; P < 0.05). The ingestion of the energy drink did not affect the prevalence of negative side effects after the game. An energy drink with a dose equivalent to 3 mg of caffeine/kg might be an effective ergogenic aid to improve physical performance in female soccer players.

Caffeine supplementation improves countermovement jump in youth soccer players: a pilot study

“…Improvements in CMJ height and in the average peak running in sprint test were observed with caffeine. Furthermore, they run more distance in a simulated soccer match and more distance covered at >18km/h with caffeine 5 . Therefore, it seems that caffeine could enhance physical performance in team sports.…”

“…They abstained from caffeine ingestion in their diet for 24 hour before each experimental trial. Players were provided with a list of foods and drinks containing caffeine and asked to avoid these as previous studies 1,5 . The experimental protocol was written following the ethics rules from Helsinki Declaration.…”

“…Even, other study examined caffeine in physical soccer performance in female players. Eighteen women players ingested energy drink providing caffeine (3mg/kg BM) or a placebo 5 . Improvements in CMJ height and in the average peak running in sprint test were observed with caffeine.…”

“…Countermovent Jump (CMJ): CMJ has been used in numerous studies to evaluate the ergogenic effect of caffeine ingestion in team sports performance 3,5,14,17 . Players performed CMJs at the beginning and at the end of training sessions.…”

“…Caffeine Dose: There are studies which uses different dose in order to get ergogenic effects from caffeine supplementation [2][3][4][5][6][11][12][13][14][15][16] . A dose between 3-6mg of caffeine per kilogram of BM seems to have benefits without negative side effects and therefore a medium dose of 4mg/kg of BM was used.…”