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Higher and lower caffeine consumers: exercise performance and biological responses during a simulated soccer-game protocol following caffeine ingestion

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Abstract

Purpose

Research on whether caffeine habituation reduces its ergogenicity is scarce and conflicting. The purpose of the present study was to examine the influence of habitual caffeine consumption on exercise performance and biological responses during a simulated soccer-game protocol following acute caffeine ingestion.

Methods

Twenty professional male soccer players were categorized as higher (n = 9) or lower caffeine consumers (n = 11) after answering a validated questionnaire. Participants performed a simulated treadmill soccer-game protocol on treadmill following either caffeine (6 mg kg−1) or placebo ingestion, during which several variables were evaluated.

Results

Time to exhaustion, countermovement jump height, mean arterial pressure, heart rate, plasma glucose, and lactate were higher (P ≤ 0.001), while rating of perceived exertion (RPE) was lower (P = 0.002), following caffeine compared to placebo ingestion, with no differences between groups (P > 0.05). Plasma non-esterified fatty acids exhibited a higher response to caffeine in the higher vs lower caffeine consumers. Reaction time, plasma glycerol and epinephrine, carbohydrate and fat oxidation, and energy expenditure were not affected by caffeine (P > 0.05).

Conclusion

Caffeine ingestion largely improved cardiovascular and neuromuscular performance, while reducing RPE, in both higher and lower caffeine consuming athletes during prolonged intermitted exercise to exhaustion.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the participants for their cooperation. Special acknowledgments are due to Mrs. Eleni Andreou for prescribing the pre-exercise meals. The authors are grateful to the people working at Medisell and A.C. Medlab Solutions in Cyprus for their support with the lab equipment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Human Performance Laboratory, Department of Life & Health Sciences, University of Nicosia, 46 Makedonitissas Ave., P.O. Box 2417, Nicosia, Cyprus

    Andreas Apostolidis & Marios Hadjicharalambous

  2. Laboratory of Evaluation of Human Biological Performance, School of Physical Education & Sport Science at Thessaloniki, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece

    Vassilis Mougios

  3. School of Physical Education & Sports Science, Democritus University of Thrace, Komotini, Greece

    Ilias Smilios

Authors
  1. Andreas Apostolidis
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  2. Vassilis Mougios
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  4. Marios Hadjicharalambous
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Contributions

AA performed all the data collection. MH was the major contributor of the research design, supported and initially supervised the data collection process, and coordinated the study. VM and IS contributed to the research design. AA, MH, VM, and IS analyzed the data, reported the results, and wrote and edited the manuscript. All authors approved the final version of the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marios Hadjicharalambous.

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The authors declare that there are no competing interests.

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Apostolidis, A., Mougios, V., Smilios, I. et al. Higher and lower caffeine consumers: exercise performance and biological responses during a simulated soccer-game protocol following caffeine ingestion. Eur J Nutr 61, 4135–4143 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-022-02955-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-022-02955-3

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