Oral l-menthol reduces thermal sensation, increases work-rate and extends time to exhaustion, in the heat at a fixed rating of perceived exertion

Flood, Tessa R.; Waldron, Mark; Jeffries, Owen

doi:10.1007/s00421-017-3645-6

Cited by 69 publications

(155 citation statements)

References 68 publications

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“…In the current study, menthol was swilled intermittently throughout steady‐state exercise and prior to the TTF run. This finding supports previous studies where menthol swilling has shown to improve exercise performance in the heat . Similar to the current study, Jeffries et al found that swilling menthol in the latter stages of an exhaustive cycle improved TTF performance compared with a placebo swill.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…Menthol is a non‐thermal cooling method therefore does not have an impact on body temperature; however, the current study also found it did not have an effect on perceived thermal sensation, exertion, or thirst. In contradiction, previous studies have associated menthol swilling with improved perceptual ratings in the heat . The lack of impact of menthol swilling on perceptual ratings in the current study could be due to the swilling solution not being cooled (33.4°C), which allowed for the investigation of the solution in a practical scenario where refrigeration was not available.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 81%

“…Such sensations with menthol are attributed to the action of highly sensitive cold receptors called transient receptor potential melastatin 8 (TRPM8), which are located on the cell membrane of sensory neurons of the mouth and nose . Therefore, menthol swilling has previously been reported to reduce perceived thermal sensation, exertion, and thirst, leading to improved exercise performance in the heat . Along with reduced perceptual ratings, it is suggested that the cool sensation associated with menthol swilling can influence arousal and alertness levels and, therefore, has the potential to be used as a stimulus to maintain cognitive performance for athletes competing hot and humid conditions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Physical and perceptual cooling: Improving cognitive function, mood disturbance and time to fatigue in the heat

Saldaris

Landers

Lay

2020

Scandinavian Med Sci Sports

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This study investigated the effects of menthol swilling and crushed ice ingestion on cognitive function, total mood disturbance (TMD), and time to fatigue (TTF). Twelve male long‐distance runners completed three counterbalanced running trials (3 × 30 minutes at 65% VO2peak and a TTF run at 100% VO2peak) in hot, humid conditions (35.3 ± 0.3°C, 59.2 ± 2.5% relative humidity). Trials consisted of precooling with crushed ice ingestion and mid‐cooling by menthol swilling (MIX), precooling with water ingestion and mid‐cooling by menthol swilling (MENTH), and control (CON). Swilling with either 25 mL of menthol solution or placebo occurred upon entry to the heat, at 15‐minute intervals during the run and prior to the TTF run. Core temperature, forehead skin temperature, tympanic temperature, perceived thermal sensation, and TMD were significantly lower with MIX compared with MENTH and CON (P < .05). Thirst was satiated in MIX compared with CON; however, MENTH did not have a significant effect. After 90 minutes of running and post‐TTF run, fewer errors occurred in the executive control task (P < .05), as well as decision‐making and working memory (P > .05; d = 0.5‐0.79) between MIX and CON; however, MENTH had no effect compared with CON. The TTF run was significantly longer with MENTH (34.38%; P = .02) and MIX (39.06%; P = .001) compared with CON, with no difference between MENTH and MIX (P = .618). The physical reduction in core and internal head temperature seen with crushed ice ingestion may lead to improvements in cognitive function; however, both MENTH and MIX were sufficient for improving exercise performance.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 81%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Physical and perceptual cooling: Improving cognitive function, mood disturbance and time to fatigue in the heat

Saldaris

Landers

Lay

2020

Scandinavian Med Sci Sports

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“…Menthol mouth swilling is considered a practical ergogenic strategy before and during exercise in hot environments [11,30] and has been used to improve performance during time trials [17,18] and time to exhaustion [16,31]. Perception of menthol mouth swill concentration may be highly individual in nature, with 200 gene variants of the receptor responsible for menthol detection (TRPM8 [32]).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…All menthol-containing studies [9,10,[16][17][18][19]31] have employed a repeated exposure during the exercise bout-this is quantified via time or distance. Better understanding the time course of menthol mouth swilling responses, and the potential impact of concentrations upon these, would provide insight into possible limitations in application for menthol-containing strategies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Development of a Menthol Solution for Use during Sport and Exercise

Best

Spears²,

Hurst

et al. 2018

Beverages

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Menthol mouth-swilling has been shown to improve performance across differing exercise modalities, yet no work has been conducted to ascertain the preferred concentration of menthol within a swill. Colour has also been shown to influence psychophysiological outcomes, and may influence the efficacy of ergogenic aids. We conducted two experiments: one to ascertain preferred menthol concentration (0.005-0.105% menthol), the second to assess colour preference (Light Blue, Dark Blue, Light Green, Dark Green, Red). Participants rated swills for Smell, Taste, Freshness, Mouth Feel and Irritation (plus Appearance in the second trial) via 15 cm Visual Analogue Scales (VAS), having swilled and expectorated 25 mL of fluid. Both trials employed a crossover design, with tasting order assigned by Latin squares. Differences were assessed for statistical significance (p < 0.05) using one-way repeated measures ANOVAs. Standardised mean differences ±90% confidence intervals were calculated to assess the magnitude of any observed differences. No significant differences were found between concentrations for total VAS score, but higher concentrations demonstrated a greater number of small effects. Similarly, no significant differences between colours were found. Small effects were found when Light Green was compared to Dark Green and Red. Effects were trivial when Light Green was compared to Light Blue (0.05 ± 0.20) and Dark Blue (0.19 ± 0.32). We recommend athletes employ a Light Green or Light Blue 0.1% menthol mouth-swill.

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No effect of a commercial carbohydrate‐menthol drink on thermal perceptual measures or 15‐min time trial performance compared to commercial carbohydrate drink in hot humid conditions

Bray,

Blacker,

West

et al. 2024

European Journal of Sport Science

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This study assessed the effect of a commercial carbohydrate menthol drink on cycling time trial (TT) performance in hot and humid conditions compared with a carbohydrate only drink. Ten participants (5 women; V̇O2max: 52.3 ± 8.6 mL kg−1 min−1, Peak Power Output: 286 ± 56 W) completed a 40‐min cycling preload (50% V̇O2max) followed by a 15‐min self‐paced TT in hot (∼35°C) and humid (∼54%) conditions on two occasions (double blind, crossover design). Every 10‐min, 85 mL of carbohydrate (CHO; SIS GO Energy, 60 g h−1) or carbohydrate and menthol (CHO + MEN; SIS Turbo+ 60 g h−1, 0.01% menthol) was swilled (∼10‐s) and ingested. Rectal temperature (Trec) and heart rate (HR) were recorded throughout. Thermal sensation (TS), thermal comfort (TC) and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were recorded every 5‐min. Taste and aftertaste were rated from very pleasant (+5) to very unpleasant (−5). TT performance (total work; kJ) was similar between CHO (153 kJ [95% CI: 129–177 kJ]) and CHO + MEN (151 kJ [128–178 kJ]). During preload exercise, Trec increased by ∼0.9°C and was similar at the end of the TT (∼38.20°C). Mean preload HR was ∼140 b min−1 in each condition and reached ∼177 b min−1 at the end of the TT. TC was rated as ‘much too warm’ and TS rated as ‘very hot’ in both conditions. Both conditions were ‘extremely hard’ (end point RPE ∼19). All participants preferred the taste and aftertaste of the CHO drink. The commercial carbohydrate menthol drink offered no additional ergogenic benefit compared to a carbohydrate only drink during cycling exercise performed in hot and humid conditions.

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Oral l-menthol reduces thermal sensation, increases work-rate and extends time to exhaustion, in the heat at a fixed rating of perceived exertion

Abstract: These results indicate that a non-thermal cooling mouth rinse lowered thermal sensation, resulting in an elevated work rate, which extended exercise time in the heat at a fixed RPE.

Cited by 69 publications

References 68 publications

Physical and perceptual cooling: Improving cognitive function, mood disturbance and time to fatigue in the heat

Physical and perceptual cooling: Improving cognitive function, mood disturbance and time to fatigue in the heat

The Development of a Menthol Solution for Use during Sport and Exercise

No effect of a commercial carbohydrate‐menthol drink on thermal perceptual measures or 15‐min time trial performance compared to commercial carbohydrate drink in hot humid conditions

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