Caffeinated Chewing Gum Improves Sympathetic Nerve Activity and Wrestling Performance: A Double-Blind Crossover Trial

This study investigated the effect of caffeinated chewing gum on sympathetic nerve activity and simulated wrestling performance.

Sixteen professional male wrestlers (age: 21.8 [1.0] y, height: 168.4 [4.5] cm, mass: 68.2 [8.7] kg) were randomly assigned to either a caffeinated-chewing-gum (CAF) trial or a placebo trial (PL) using a double-blind, randomized crossover study design. Participants warmed up for 15 minutes after chewing CAF containing 3 mg/kg body weight or caffeine-free placebo gum (PL) for 10 minutes. Participants were sequentially tested for grip strength and a specific wrestling performance test (SWPT). Saliva samples were collected when participants arrived at the laboratory and at the end of the SWPT to analyze caffeine and α-amylase concentrations.

Caffeinated chewing gum significantly increased the number of throws in round 1 (CAF: 26.8 [3.3] times, PL: 24.0 [2.7] times; P = .002, Cohen d = 0.92), round 2 (CAF: 22.8 [3.3] times, PL: 20.4 [3.3] times; P = .047, Cohen d = 0.72), and total number of throws (CAF: 49.6 [5.7] times, PL: 44.5 [4.7] times; P = .001, Cohen d = 0.97), as measured by SWPT, compared with the PL. The saliva α-amylase concentrations were higher in the CAF trial than in the PL trial at the end of the SWPT (P = .040, Cohen d = 0.52).

The results of this study provide support that caffeinated chewing gum is effective in improving the number of throws in an SWPT. Increased sympathetic nerve activity may have improved the number of throws.