Abstract
Interventions that solely act on the central nervous system (CNS) are gaining considerable interest, particularly products consumed through the oral cavity. The oropharyngeal cavity contains a wide array of receptors that respond to sweet, bitter, and cold tastants, all of which have been shown to improve physiological performance. Of late, the ergogenic benefits of carbohydrate (CHO) and caffeine (CAF) mouth rinsings (MRs) have been widely studied; however, less is known about menthol (MEN). That the physiological state and environmental conditions impact the response each product has is increasingly recognized. While the effects of CHO and CAF MRs have been thoroughly studied in both hot and thermoneutral conditions, less is known about MEN as it has only been studied in hot environments. As such, this review summarizes the current knowledge regarding the MEN MR and exercise modality, frequency of the mouth rinse, and mouth rinse duration and compares two different types of study designs: time trials vs. time to exhaustion (TTE).
Highlights
The topic of fatigue during exercise continues to receive much attention with significant research invested in an attempt to elucidate mechanisms contributing to fatigue and potential solutions to delay fatigue
CHO and CAF mouth rinsings (MRs) have extensively been studied in thermoneutral conditions [7, 8], whereas a MEN MR has been focused on warm or hot conditions
Future research should explore the influence of MEN MR frequency in the latter stages of exercise when central fatigue is traditionally high [75]
Summary
The topic of fatigue during exercise continues to receive much attention with significant research invested in an attempt to elucidate mechanisms contributing to fatigue and potential solutions to delay fatigue. A strategy that has been shown to ameliorate fatigue and improve physiological performance is interventions acting solely on the CNS through an increase in the activity of chemoreceptors and thermoreceptors, caffeine (CAF), carbohydrate (CHO), and menthol (MEN) mouth rinsings (MRs) [6,7,8]. The study of Watson et al [20] during exercise in the heat (30◦C) demonstrated that dopamine/noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor (bupropion) improved exercise performance following bupropion administration. Taken together, these results suggest that changes in the ratio of serotonin to dopamine can limit and influence physiological performance during exercise in the heat
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