The Effects of Caffeine on Pain-Based Pacing During a Cycling Time-Trial

Phase 1

Completed

• Conditions: Healthy
• Interventions: Drug: Caffeine; Drug: Placebo

• Registration Number: NCT02115763
• Lead Sponsor: University of Oklahoma

Brief Summary

Caffeine has been shown to consistently improve time-trial performance, warranting restrictions on consumption under regulation of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) and World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). This ergogenic effect is not well understood, possibly occurring as a result of altered metabolism, improved strength, and/or reduced muscle pain. The hypothesis of altered metabolism has recently fallen out of favor while muscular strength has a tenuous relationship with endurance exercise performance. Reductions in muscle pain have been observed during low and moderate intensity endurance exercise, and this may be the mechanism of caffeine's ergogenic effect. In lieu of reducing pain during high intensity exercise, caffeine significantly improves performance. Therefore, caffeine appears to improve the amount of work that can be done for a given muscle pain rating, suggesting that participants may pace based upon sensations of muscle pain during endurance exercise. Most time-trial exercise is conducted in a fixed distance manner, measuring the time it takes participants to cover a given distance. Little research has been conducted on a fixed pain time-trial that would require participants to produce and sustain a given level of muscle pain while measuring the distance covered in an allotted time. A fixed pain time-trial could allow researchers to better understand the effect of pain on endurance performance. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of caffeine on a fixed pain time-trial.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2014-04
• Study First Submitted: 2014-04-11
• Study First Submitted QC: 2014-04-14
• Study First Posted: 2014-04-16
• Primary Completion: 2015-05
• Study Completion: 2015-05
• Status Verified: 2017-06
• Last Update Submitted: 2017-06-02
• Last Update Posted: 2017-06-05

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: Male
• Target Recruitment: 15

Inclusion Criteria

• Caffeine Naive (<40mg per day) physically active 18-35 year old men with no contraindications to exercise.

Exclusion Criteria

• People who do not match the gender, age or caffeine limits;
• those with contraindications to exercise or who are not physically active

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: SINGLE_GROUP

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Caffeine	Caffeine	There is only one arm, it receives both caffeine and placebo.
Caffeine	Placebo	There is only one arm, it receives both caffeine and placebo.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Stationary Cycle Ergometer	30 minutes per session (6 sessions total)	The distance covered (meters) while exercising on the cycle ergometer will be recorded.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

University of Oklahoma Sensory and Muscle Function Lab; 🇺🇸 Norman, Oklahoma, United States