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

OBJECTIVE

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.

METHODS

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

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

CONCLUSION

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.

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