Effects of acute ingestion of caffeinated chewing gum on performance in elite judo athletes

Michal Krzysztofik,Adam Zajac,Juan Del Coso,Michal Wilk,Agata Rzeszutko-Belzowska,Marcin Dornowski,Robert Krawczyk,Aleksandra Filip-Stachnik

doi:10.1186/s12970-021-00448-y

Abstract

PurposePrevious investigations have found positive effects of acute ingestion of capsules containing 4-to-9 mg of caffeine per kg of body mass on several aspects of judo performance. However, no previous investigation has tested the effectiveness of caffeinated chewing gum as the form of caffeine administration for judoists. The main goal of this study was to assess the effect of acute ingestion of a caffeinated chewing gum on the results of the special judo fitness test (SJFT).MethodsNine male elite judo athletes of the Polish national team (23.7 ± 4.4 years, body mass: 73.5 ± 7.4 kg) participated in a randomized, crossover, placebo-controlled and double-blind experiment. Participants were moderate caffeine consumers (3.1 mg/kg/day). Each athlete performed three identical experimental sessions after: (a) ingestion of two non-caffeinated chewing gums (P + P); (b) a caffeinated chewing gum and a placebo chewing gum (C + P; ~2.7 mg/kg); (c) two caffeinated chewing gums (C + C; ~5.4 mg/kg). Each gum was ingested 15 min before performing two Special Judo Fitness Test (SJFT) which were separated by 4 min of combat activity.ResultsThe total number of throws was not different between P + P, C + P, and C + C (59.66 ± 4.15, 62.22 ± 4.32, 60.22 ± 4.08 throws, respectively; p = 0.41). A two-way repeated measures ANOVA indicated no significant substance × time interaction effect as well as no main effect of caffeine for SJFT performance, SJFT index, blood lactate concentration, heart rate or rating of perceived exertion.ConclusionsThe results of the current study indicate that the use of caffeinated chewing gum in a dose up to 5.4 mg/kg of caffeine did not increase performance during repeated SJFTs.

Highlights

Caffeine is recognized as the most commonly used psychoactive substance in the world [1] and is widely utilized by elite athletes as an ergogenic aid to increase physical performance during training and competition [2]
In most previous investigations confirming the ergogenic effects of caffeine in sports performance, this stimulant was provided in doses from 3 to 9 mg per kg of body mass in the form of anhydrous caffeine administered in a gelatin capsules
The two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed no main effects of substance and time, nor interaction between these two variables in the number of throws performed in each repetition of the special judo fitness test (SJFT)

Summary

Introduction

Caffeine is recognized as the most commonly used psychoactive substance in the world [1] and is widely utilized by elite athletes as an ergogenic aid to increase physical performance during training and competition [2]. Chewing gum allows caffeine to be absorbed directly into the bloodstream through the buccal mucosa, thereby bypassing hepatic metabolism [9] This form of caffeine absorption may minimize the risk of gastrointestinal disorders in athletes. Regarding this issue, the use of caffeinated chewing gum in doses between 2 and 6 mg/kg has been found effective in increasing performance in several types of exercise, such as cycling [10,11,12], team sportsspecific tests [13, 14], endurance running [15, 16] and jumping performance [17] this is not always the case [18, 19]

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