Abstract
Previous studies have investigated caffeine (CAF) and taurine (TAU) in isolation and combined during exercise in males. However, the potential synergistic effect during high-intensity exercise remains unknown in female athletes. Seventeen female team-sport athletes participated (age: 23.4 ± 2.1 years; height: 1.68 ± 0.05 m; body mass: 59.5 ± 2.2 kg). All participants were habitual caffeine consumers (340.1 ± 28.6 mg/day). A double-blind randomized crossover design was used. Participants completed four experimental trials: (i) CAF and TAU (6 mg/kg body mass of CAF + 1 g of TAU), (ii) CAF alone; (iii) TAU alone; and (iv) placebo (PLA). Supplements were ingested 60 min before a 30-s Wingate Anaerobic Test (WAnT). Heart rate and blood lactate (BL) were measured before and immediately after the WAnT; and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) were recorded immediately after the WAnT. Peak power (PP) was significantly higher following co-ingestion of CAF+TAU compared to PLA (p = 0.03) and TAU (p = 0.03). Mean power (MP) was significantly higher following co-ingestion of CAF+TAU compared to PLA (p = 0.01). No other differences were found between conditions for PP and MP (p > 0.05). There were also no observed differences in fatigue index (FI), BL; heart rate; and RPE between conditions (p > 0.05). In conclusion, compared to PLA the combined ingestion of 6 mg/kg of CAF and 1 g of TAU improved both PP and MP in female athletes habituated to caffeine; however; CAF and TAU independently failed to augment WAnT performance.
Highlights
Intake of energy drinks (EDs) as an ergogenic aid has increased in popularity with a market value of $11 billion in 2018, which is expected to rise to $83.4 billion in 2024 [1]
Post hoc analysis revealed that Peak power (PP) with CAF+TAU was significantly higher compared to PLA (+31.9 ± 9.8 W; p = 0.03; 95%confidence interval (CI) = 2.3–61.4) and TAU (+28.8 ± 9.1 W; p = 0.03; 95%CI = 1.3–56.3)
There was a significant effect of condition on Mean power (MP) (F3,48 = 3.804; p = 0.02; η2 = 0.19; Figure 2B)
Summary
Intake of energy drinks (EDs) as an ergogenic aid has increased in popularity with a market value of $11 billion in 2018, which is expected to rise to $83.4 billion in 2024 [1]. Most EDs contain caffeine (CAF; 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine) and taurine (TAU; 2-aminoethanesulfonic acid) as the primary purported active ingredients [2,3]. TAU plays a role as an antioxidant that could improve ATP turnover in the muscle cell, leading to an increase in high intensity exercise performance [7]. In theory, since both CAF and TAU work through different mechanisms (beyond Ca++ handling), co-ingestion may further enhance exercise performance than either alone
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