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

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.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Healthy
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Placebo; Drug: Caffeine

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 15
• Phase: Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Oklahoma
    • Norman, Oklahoma, United States, 73019
      • University of Oklahoma Sensory and Muscle Function Lab

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 35 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: Male

Description

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 Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Caffeine; There is only one arm, it receives both caffeine and placebo.	Drug: Placebo; Drug: Caffeine

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

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

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Oklahoma

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 1, 2014
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 1, 2015
• Study Completion (Actual): May 1, 2015

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 11, 2014
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 14, 2014
• First Posted (Estimate): April 16, 2014

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 5, 2017
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 2, 2017
• Last Verified: June 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: physically active,; 18-35 year old men
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Physiological Effects of Drugs; Neurotransmitter Agents; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Enzyme Inhibitors; Purinergic Antagonists; Purinergic Agents; Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors; Purinergic P1 Receptor Antagonists; Central Nervous System Stimulants; Caffeine
• Other Study ID Numbers: 4084