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Dose-Response Effect of Oral Caffeine Use on Aerobic Exercise Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Gabriel L Martins1,2, Juliana M Aparecido3, Marcelo L Marquezi3
1Plenitude Education Institute, Sao Paulo 01409-000, SP, Brazil.
Caffeine supplementation enhances endurance performance by reducing time-trial completion times. Low to moderate doses (1.3-6 mg·kg-1) show significant ergogenic effects, with moderate doses offering more consistent benefits.
Area of Science:
- Sports Science
- Exercise Physiology
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Caffeine is a known ergogenic aid, with effects varying by dose.
- Higher caffeine doses may increase adverse effects without proportional performance benefits.
- Previous research shows a wide range of time-trial performance changes with caffeine.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and meta-analyze the effects of low, moderate, and high caffeine doses on aerobic time-trial performance.
- To determine optimal caffeine dosing strategies for endurance performance.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized, placebo-controlled trials.
- Included studies focused on healthy adults (18-59 years) and aerobic time-trial completion.
- Data synthesized using standardized mean differences (SMDs) and random-effects models.
Main Results:
- Forty-eight studies (689 participants) met inclusion criteria.
- Low (≤3 mg·kg-1) and moderate (4-6 mg·kg-1) caffeine doses significantly reduced time-trial completion time.
- Moderate doses (SMD = -0.52) showed a more consistent ergogenic effect than low doses (SMD = -0.27).
Conclusions:
- Pre-exercise caffeine ingestion, particularly at low to moderate doses, enhances aerobic time-trial performance.
- Moderate caffeine doses (4-6 mg·kg-1) appear to provide the most consistent ergogenic benefits.
- No studies on high caffeine doses (>6 mg·kg-1) met the criteria for time-to-completion outcomes.
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