Effects of energy drinks on repeated sprint performance and cognitive function in athletes

Energy drinks are often used by athletes before competitions to enhance their performance. Resent research has pointed out that the performance effects of select ingredients have been studied in-dividually, but not in combination with caffeine. Therefore, this study investigated the effect of caffeine, anserine and elderberry on cognitive function and repeated sprint performance of athletes during a high-intensity exercise protocol.

We employed a double-blind, randomized, counter balanced, and crossover design. Three types of supplements were tested: placebo, caffeine (220mg), and energy drink (220mg caffeine, 288mg anserine, 400 mg of elderberry, and 660 mg vitamins-minerals mixed). Twelve college athletes were recruited to complete repeated sprint tests on a cycle ergometer until they reached exhaustion and undertook a series of cognitive tasks during running.

Results showed that energy drink group significantly improved repeated sprint performance and showed a potential to attenuate certain aspects of cognitive fatigue.

The multi-ingredient energy drink significantly elevated total power output and attenuated the exercise-induced decline in cognitive performance. It might be a better strategy for athletes to optimize physical performance and mitigate cognitive fatigue.

https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07104188?intr=NCT07104188%20&rank=1, identifier NCT07104188.