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Can taste be ergogenic?

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Abstract

Taste is a homeostatic function that conveys valuable information, such as energy density, readiness to eat, or toxicity of foodstuffs. Taste is not limited to the oral cavity but affects multiple physiological systems. In this review, we outline the ergogenic potential of substances that impart bitter, sweet, hot and cold tastes administered prior to and during exercise performance and whether the ergogenic benefits of taste are attributable to the placebo effect. Carbohydrate mouth rinsing seemingly improves endurance performance, along with a potentially ergogenic effect of oral exposure to both bitter tastants and caffeine although subsequent ingestion of bitter mouth rinses is likely required to enhance performance. Hot and cold tastes may prove beneficial in circumstances where athletes’ thermal state may be challenged. Efficacy is not limited to taste, but extends to the stimulation of targeted receptors in the oral cavity and throughout the digestive tract, relaying signals pertaining to energy availability and temperature to appropriate neural centres. Dose, frequency and timing of tastant application likely require personalisation to be most effective, and can be enhanced or confounded by factors that relate to the placebo effect, highlighting taste as a critical factor in designing and administering applied sports science interventions.

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Notes

  1. Providing an explanation for why this occurs is outside the scope of the paper, but we refer the reader to the work of Humphrey [117] and Miller, Colloca and Kaptchuk [118], who offer a more thorough explanation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Sports Science and Human Performance, Wintec, Hamilton, 3288, New Zealand

    Russ Best & Kerin McDonald

  2. School of Health and Social Care, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, TS1 3BX, UK

    Russ Best

  3. School of Human and Life Sciences, Canterbury Christ Church University, Canterbury, UK

    Philip Hurst

  4. Institute of Coaching and Performance, School of Sport and Wellbeing, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, PR1 2HE, UK

    Craig Pickering

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  1. Russ Best
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  2. Kerin McDonald
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  3. Philip Hurst
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  4. Craig Pickering
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Correspondence to Russ Best.

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Best, R., McDonald, K., Hurst, P. et al. Can taste be ergogenic?. Eur J Nutr 60, 45–54 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-020-02274-5

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