Impact of AMATEA™️ on Physiological Measures and Gaming Performance in Active Gamers: a Placebo Controlled, Double-blind, Randomized Study

AMATEA™ is a patented dietary supplement consisting of a unique blend of caffeine and polyphenol antioxidants; standardized at 20% caffeine, 30% chlorogenic acids (similar to green coffee). In-house evaluations and anecdotal findings related to AMATEA have noted sustained energy without the typical "crash" and/or "jitters" experienced by some with caffeine ingestion alone.

The aim of the present study is to compare the effects of AMATEA and caffeine alone on various measures of cognitive performance, mood, and gaming performance in men and women who regularly engage in gaming activity. The investigators hypothesize that both AMATEA and caffeine will improve outcome measures more than placebo, with greater improvement noted for the AMATEA condition due to the addition of the chlorogenic acid.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Healthy
• Intervention / Treatment: Dietary supplement: AMATEA™; Dietary supplement: Caffeine; Other: Placebo

Detailed Description

The activity of "gaming" is increasing in popularity each year, with millions of young adults engaged in regular play. This has fueled the rise in nutrition and dietary supplementation strategies to aid gaming performance. Since caffeine has been widely used for purposes of improving athletic performance with both relatively low and high dosages, and more recently as a potential aid for "mind" games such as chess at a dosage of 400mg, this has been the nutrient of focus for many gamers. Other multi-component products are making their way to the market.

Active gamers claim to ingest such products regularly throughout their gameplay, which can span from 4-12 hours per session for regular gamers. AMATEA™ is a patented dietary supplement consisting of a unique blend of caffeine and polyphenol antioxidants; standardized at 20% caffeine, 30% chlorogenic acids (similar to green coffee). The product is also Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) and USDA organic.

While caffeine has been well-investigated for its performance boosting effects, chlorogenic acid has been reported to offer many potential health benefits. Specifically, it has been reported to improve select cognitive measures following regular intake, which may translate into more efficient performance with complex tasks-such as those involved with gaming.

In-house evaluations and anecdotal findings related to AMATEA have noted sustained energy without the typical "crash" and/or "jitters" experienced by some with caffeine ingestion alone. While caffeine can prove beneficial to many, some users experience "crashing" 2-3 hours post ingestion, while others feel too "wired" following use and may experience difficulty concentrating. AMATEA contains a relatively low concentration of caffeine per capsule (150mg) in an attempt to avoid such problems, while also containing chlorogenic acid. This may aid gamers who need to maintain fine motor skills and those who need to concentrate on complex activities for several hours continuously.

The aim of the present study is to compare the effects of AMATEA and caffeine alone on various measures of cognitive performance, mood, and gaming performance in men and women who regularly engage in gaming activity. The investigators hypothesize that both AMATEA and caffeine will improve outcome measures more than placebo, with greater improvement noted for the AMATEA condition due to the addition of the chlorogenic acid.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 59
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Tennessee
    • Memphis, Tennessee, United States, 38152
      • Center for Nutraceutical and Dietary Supplement Research

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 40 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• age 18-40 years
• male or female
• body mass index (BMI) between 18-34.9 kg/m2
• not be using tobacco products
• no diagnosed history of diabetes
• no diagnosed history of cardiovascular disease
• no diagnosed history of neurological disease
• no consumption of alcohol within 48 hours of testing
• consume < 400mg caffeine daily
• no consumption of caffeine-containing beverages within at least 48 hours of testing
• blood metabolic parameters within normal limits
• if female, not be pregnant
• active gamers: playing at least 4 days per week, for at least 4 hours per day, for the past 12 months
• regularly playing the game Fortnite, for the past 3 months
• willing to play on our console systems and use their personal headset

Exclusion Criteria:

• individuals younger than 18 years or greater than 40 years
• individuals weighing less than 115 pounds
• individuals with a BMI less than 18kg/m2 or greater than 35kg/m2
• individuals with a diagnosed history of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or neurological disease
• individuals that consume greater than 400mg caffeine daily
• pregnant females
• non-active gamers

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: AMATEA; 3x 450mg capsules of AMATEA which contains 270mg of caffeine total	Dietary supplement: AMATEA™; AMATEA™ is a patented dietary supplement consisting of a unique blend of caffeine and polyphenol antioxidants; standardized at 20% caffeine, 30% chlorogenic acids (similar to green coffee). Total of 1.35g of AMATEA containing 270mg of caffeine.
Active Comparator: Caffeine; 3x 450mg capsules each containing 360mg of microcellulose and 90mg of caffeine (270mg caffeine total)	Dietary supplement: Caffeine; 1.08g of microcellulose and 270mg of caffeine.
Placebo Comparator: Placebo; 3x 450mg capsules of microcellulose	Other: Placebo; 1.35g of microcellulose

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Fortnite Gaming metrics with AMATEA	We will determine the change in the Fortnite gaming metrics report following 4 hours of play when taking AMATEA versus placebo or caffeine	During 4 hours of gaming following AMATEA ingestion
Fortnite Gaming metrics with caffeine	We will determine the change in the Fortnite gaming metrics report following 4 hours of play when taking caffeine versus placebo or AMATEA	During 4 hours of gaming following caffeine ingestion
Fortnite Gaming metrics with placebo	We will determine the change in the Fortnite gaming metrics report following 4 hours of play when taking placebo versus AMATEA or caffeine	During 4 hours of gaming following placebo ingestion
Change in mental performance from baseline with AMATEA	We will determine the change in daily mental performance assessed via AX-CPT when taking AMATEA versus caffeine or placebo	Prior to and during the 6 hour period following AMATEA ingestion
Change in mental performance from baseline with caffeine	We will determine the change in daily mental performance assessed via AX-CPT when taking caffeine versus caffeine or AMATEA	Prior to and during the 6 hour period following caffeine ingestion
Change in mental performance from baseline with placebo	We will determine the change in daily mental performance assessed via AX-CPT when taking placebo versus caffeine or AMATEA	Prior to and during the 6 hour period following placebo ingestion
Change in blood cortisol from baseline with AMATEA	We will determine the change in daily blood cortisol when taking AMATEA versus caffeine or placebo	Prior to and during the 6 hour period following AMATEA ingestion
Change in blood cortisol from baseline with caffeine	We will determine the change in daily blood cortisol when taking caffeine versus AMATEA or placebo	Prior to and during the 6 hour period following caffeine ingestion
Change in blood cortisol from baseline with placebo	We will determine the change in daily blood cortisol when taking placebo versus AMATEA or caffeine	Prior to and during the 6 hour period following placebo ingestion
Change in digital symbol substitution from baseline with AMATEA	We will determine the change in digital symbol substitution when taking AMATEA versus caffeine or placebo	Prior to and during the 6 hour period following AMATEA ingestion
Change in digital symbol substitution from baseline with caffeine	We will determine the change in digital symbol substitution when taking caffeine versus AMATEA or placebo	Prior to and during the 6 hour period following caffeine ingestion
Change in digital symbol substitution from baseline with placebo	We will determine the change in digital symbol substitution when taking placebo versus AMATEA or caffeine	Prior to and during the 6 hour period following placebo ingestion
Change in reaction time from baseline with AMATEA	We will determine the change in reaction time when taking AMATEA versus caffeine or placebo	Prior to and during the 6 hour period following AMATEA ingestion
Change in reaction time from baseline with caffeine	We will determine the change in reaction time when taking caffeine versus AMATEA or placebo	Prior to and during the 6 hour period following caffeine ingestion
Change in reaction time from baseline with placebo	We will determine the change in reaction time when taking placebo versus AMATEA or caffeine	Prior to and during the 6 hour period following placebo ingestion

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Heart rate	Change in heart rate each hour after ingestion	Prior to and during the 6 hour period following supplement/placebo ingestion
Blood pressure	Change in blood pressure each hour after ingestion	Prior to and during the 6 hour period following supplement/placebo ingestion
Rate pressure product	Change in rate pressure product each hour after ingestion	Prior to and during the 6 hour period following supplement/placebo ingestion
Digital symbol substitution test	Change in digital symbol substitution test each hour after ingestion	Prior to and during the 6 hour period following supplement/placebo ingestion
Brunel Mood Score	Change in Brunel Mood Score (Brums-32) using a scale 0 (Not at all) to 4 (Extremely) with higher scores indicating stronger feelings each hour after ingestion	Prior to and during the 6 hour period following supplement/placebo ingestion
Subjective Mood	Change in subjective mood using a visual analog schedule running from None to Extreme, where values nearer extreme indicate stronger feelings each hour after ingestion	Prior to and during the 6 hour period following supplement/placebo ingestion
Reaction time	Change in reaction time each hour after ingestion	Prior to and during the 6 hour period following supplement/placebo ingestion
Blood cortisol	Change in blood cortisol from baseline every 2 hours after ingestion for 4 hours	Prior to and during the 6 hour period following supplement/placebo ingestion

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Memphis
• Collaborators: Applied Food Sciences, Inc.
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Richard Bloomer, Ph.D., University of Memphis

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 1, 2020
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 11, 2021
• Study Completion (Actual): June 11, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 9, 2019
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 15, 2020
• First Posted (Actual): January 21, 2020

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): December 9, 2021
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 8, 2021
• Last Verified: December 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: video games; AMATEA; gaming; energy supplement
• 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: PRO-FY2020-65

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: Undecided

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No