Acute effects of beetroot juice and caffeine co-ingestion during a team-sport-specific intermittent exercise test in semi-professional soccer players: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study

Erfan Berjisian; Kerry McGawley; Bryan Saunders; Raúl Domínguez; Majid S Koozehchian; Caio Victor Coutinho de Oliveira; Ramin Rafiei; Hossein Miraftabi; Amir Sarshin; Alireza Naderi

doi:10.1186/s13102-022-00441-1

Acute effects of beetroot juice and caffeine co-ingestion during a team-sport-specific intermittent exercise test in semi-professional soccer players: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study

BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil. 2022 Mar 29;14(1):52. doi: 10.1186/s13102-022-00441-1.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Exercise Physiology, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Tehran University, Tehran, Iran.
² Swedish Winter Sports Research Centre, Department of Health Sciences, Mid Sweden University, Östersund, Sweden.
³ Applied Physiology and Nutrition Research Group, School of Physical Education and Sport, Rheumatology Division, Faculdade de Medicina FMUSP, Universidade de Sao Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
⁴ Institute of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Faculty of Medicine FMUSP, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
⁵ Departamento de Motricidad Humana y Rendimiento Deportivo, Faculty of Education Sciences, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain.
⁶ Studies Research Group in Neuromuscular Responses, University of Lavras, Lavras, Brazil.
⁷ Department of Kinesiology, Jacksonville State University, Jacksonville, AL, 36265, USA.
⁸ Medical Sciences Faculty, Facisa, Campina Grande, Paraíba, Brazil.
⁹ Department of Exercise Physiology, Karaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran.
¹⁰ Department of Exercise Physiology, Borujerd Branch, Islamic Azad University, Borujerd, Iran. Naderi_a@yahoo.com.

Abstract

Background: Beetroot juice (BJ) and caffeine (CAF) are considered as ergogenic aids among athletes to enhance performance, however, the ergogenic effects of BJ and CAF co-ingestion are unclear during team-sport-specific performance. This study aimed to investigate the acute effects of BJ and CAF co-ingestion on team-sport-specific performance, compared with placebo (PL), BJ, and CAF alone.

Method: Sixteen semi-professional male soccer players (age: 19.8 ± 2.2 years, body mass: 69.2 ± 6.1 kg, height: 177.3 ± 6.0 cm) completed four experimental trials using a randomized, double-blind study design: BJ + CAF, CAF + PL, BJ + PL, and PL + PL. Countermovement jump with arm swing (CMJAS) performance and cognitive function by Stroop Word-Color test were evaluated before and after the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test level 1 (YYIR1). Also, rate of perceived exertion (RPE), heart rate, and gastrointestinal (GI) discomfort were measured during each session.

Results: No significant differences were shown between test conditions for total distance covered in YYIR1 (BJ + CAF: 1858 ± 455 m, CAF + PL: 1798 ± 422 m, BJ + PL: 1845 ± 408 m, PL + PL 1740 ± 362 m; p = 0.55). Moreover, CMJAS performance, cognitive function, and RPE during the YYIR1 were not significantly different among conditions (p > 0.05). However, the average heart rate during the YYIR1 was higher in CAF + PL compared to PL + PL (by 6 ± 9 beats/min; p < 0.05), and GI distress was greater in BJ + CAF compared to PL + PL (by 2.4 ± 3.6 a.u.; p < 0.05).

Conclusion: These results suggest, neither acute co-ingestion of BJ + CAF nor BJ or CAF supplementation alone significantly affected team-sport-specific performance compared to the PL treatment.

Keywords: Countermovement jump; Ergogenic aids; Nitrate; Team-sport performance; Yo–Yo test.