The Effects of 6 Weeks of Tribulus terrestris L. Supplementation on Body Composition, Hormonal Response, Perceived Exertion, and CrossFit® Performance: A Randomized, Single-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study

Abstract

Tribulus terrestris L. (TT) supplementation have been shown to enhance sports performance in many but not all studies. Moreover, data regarding the potential impact of TT supplementation on CrossFit® endurance is limited. This study aimed to determine whether TT supplementation improve body composition, hormonal response, and performance among CrossFit® athletes. In a randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled trial, a total of 30 healthy CrossFit®-trained males were randomly allocated to receive either 770 mg of TT supplementation or a placebo daily for 6 weeks. Body mass, fat mass, fat composition, testosterone and cortisol levels, and CrossFit® performance (5 common Workouts of the Day: back squat, bench press, dead lift, Grace, and CrossFit® Total) were assessed before and after intervention. There were no significant group x time interactions for the outcomes of the study except for testosterone levels and bench press performance (p < 0.05). TT supplementation did not impact enhance performance or body composition in CrossFit® male athletes. However, TT supplementation may act as a testosterone booster helping the recovery after physical loads and mitigating fatigue.

Effects of Tribulus terrestris L. on Sport and Health Biomarkers in Physically Active Adult Males: A Systematic Review

“…After evaluation of the title and abstract, 17 articles were considered as potential registries. After review of the full text and evaluation of potential records from databases and registries as well as other sources, 7 [ 12 , 14 , 15 , 17 , 22 , 23 , 24 ] studies were included in the systematic review ( Figure 1 ).…”

“…Four studies [ 12 , 14 , 15 , 17 ] were considered as “excellent quality” and 3 [ 22 , 23 , 24 ] as “very good quality” ( Table 1 ).…”

“…Three studies [ 12 , 14 , 23 ] included elite athletes who practiced basketball [ 23 ], rugby [ 14 ] and boxing [ 12 ]. Two studies [ 15 , 22 ] included highly trained athletes with at least 20 months of CrossFit® [ 15 ] and endurance sports experience within the study program of physical education [ 22 ]. Two studies [ 17 , 24 ] did not include participants with regular physical activity habits prior to baseline.…”

“…TT supplementation was used in 5 studies [ 12 , 14 , 15 , 22 , 23 ] as commercially registered product and in 2 studies [ 17 , 24 ] was specifically prepared for the intervention. Doses of TT supplementation varied from 1875 mg [ 22 ] to 450 [ 14 ] mg, with 2 studies that supplemented with 2 doses, 1800 mg or 2700 mg [ 23 ], and 900 mg or 1800 mg [ 24 ].…”

“…TT is attractive for athletes because of its potential ergogenic effects on sports performance [ 12 ], improving recovery after exercise [ 13 ], strength, and stimulating skeletal muscle hypertrophy [ 14 ] associated with TT as a testosterone booster [ 11 ], and promoting muscle anabolism [ 10 , 13 ]. These effects have been suggested to be linked to the saponins contained in TT [ 15 ]. The saponins of TT could exert an anabolic/androgenic influence by activating endogenous production of testosterone and luteinizing hormone (LH), which may stimulate muscle growth (7,8).…”