Early absorption sources of caffeine can be a useful strategy for improving female table tennis players-specific performance

Abstract

Background The consumption of fast absorption sources containing caffeine, such as caffeinated gum and coffee mouth rinsing, has been considered a practical nutritional strategy among athletes. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effect of early absorption sources containing caffeine on the performance of female table tennis players. Method Eighteen female table tennis players randomly participated in this randomized, double-blind, and crossover designed study. Before starting the test, the participants attended a familiarization session. In each test session, participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions including chewing caffeinated gum (CG, n = 6), coffee mouth rinsing (CMR, n = 6) and placebo capsule (PLA, n = 6). All participants consumed caffeine with an average dose of ∼3 to 4.5 mg·kg −1 . The one-week interval was considered a washout period for each condition. Each test session included measurement of functional, skill and cognitive tests. Skill tests included serve, forehand drive, backhand push and counter tests. The Cognitive function measured by color recognition test, and functional tests included agility, hand movement speed, the explosive power of the upper body and lower body, hand-eye coordination and hand grip strength tests. The collected data were analyzed (with SPSS Windows software) by repeated measure ANOVA analysis and Bonferroni post hoc test at P ≤ 0.05 level. Results The findings of the present study illustrated that CG and CMR increased significantly agility and reduced the amounts of errors in the cognitive test compared to PLA ( p < 0.05), While there was no significant difference between CG and CMR ( p > 0.05). Also, CG and CMR compared to PLA and CMR compared to CG rose significantly hand movement speed and movement speed ( p < 0.05), and CMR compared to PLA increased significantly hand-eye coordination, isometric hand strength, service accuracy and forehand drive ( p < 0.05). However, CG compared to PLA and CMR had no significant effect on hand-eye coordination, isometric hand strength, service accuracy and forehand drive ( p > 0.05). In addition, CG and CMR enhanced significantly the explosive power of the lower body compared to PLA ( p < 0.05), While there was no significant difference between CG and CMR ( p > 0.05). Also, CG and CMR compared to PLA and CG compared to CMR had no significant effect on the explosive power of the upper body, backhand, and counter skills ( p > 0.05). Furthermore, CG increased significantly accuracy in the service test compared to PLA ( p < 0.05). ...

Effect of Off-Season Iron Supplementation on Aerobic Capacity of Female Handball Player: A Randomized, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Study

“…The inclusion criteria were age 18–25 y, 2 y of activity in the Premier League, and perfect physical health. The exclusion criteria were refusing to participate in the supplement protocol, contracting diseases such as COVID-19 or other diseases during research, iron deficiency, and using medicine or dietary supplements [ 26 ]. Also, the present study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran (IR.US.REC.1401.023) and was performed by the Declaration of Helsinki.…”

“…The randomization allocation table was created by a study team member blinded to assessments; allocation numbers were then placed in sealed envelopes ( Figure 1 ). It should be noted that all participants were fed the same breakfast containing 250 kcal (45 g carbohydrates, 9 g protein, and 5 g fat) 1 h and 30 min before the test sessions [ 26 ]. Additionally, the pretest and posttest were performed at the same time of day (8:30–13:00).…”