Carbohydrate Mouth Rinse Improves Relative Mean Power During Multiple Sprint Performance

Multiple investigations have confirmed carbohydrate mouth rinse (CMR) enhances high intensity endurance performance lasting under 1 hour, but the effects of CMR on high intensity intermittent exercise has received less attention. This study examined the effect of CMR on high intensity multiple sprint performances in a protocol designed to emulate a cyclocross or mountain biking event. Seven trained men (28.2 ± 6.8 years, 185 ± 9 cm, 85.3 ± 14.8 kg, VO₂peak 51.4 ± 7.3 ml/kg*min-1) completed two, 48 min high intensity intermittent cycling protocols that consisted of 6 bouts of 5 min cycling at 50% _VO2 peak followed by sets of three, 10-s Wingate sprints with 50 s of recovery between sprints. Prior to each set of Wingate sprints, either a 6.4% carbohydrate solution (CMR) or placebo (PLA) were rinsed for 10 s using a counterbalanced crossover design. There was a significant main effect (CMR 10.51 ± 0.82, PLA 10.33 ± 0.87 W/kg; p < 0.05 ES=0.21) for mean power, but post hoc tests only revealed statistically significant performance improvement with CMR during the 6th bout (CMR 10.5 ± 0.75, PLA 10.22 ± 0.92 W/kg; p = 0.01 ES=0.33). No treatment effect was exhibited for peak power, fatigue index, ratings of perceived exertion, or blood glucose. Most team sport situations provide multiple opportunities for access to beverages, but gastrointestinal distress associated with fluid intake may reduce desire for significant beverage consumption. Under such circumstances, a small but practical ergogenic advantage may be exhibited if the fluid rinsed in the mouth contains carbohydrates.