The Impact of a Caffeinated Sports Drink on Performance (NRG)

Caffeine is known to enhance physical and mental performance, but few beverages combine caffeine with electrolytes and carbohydrates to enhance exercise performance. This study evaluates a caffeinated electrolyte-glucose drink's effect on endurance, strength, and cognition. Using a repeated-measures, cross-over design, 20 trained cyclists will complete one familiarization and four randomized 3-hour experimental trials (Liquid I.V.™ Energy Multiplier, Hydration Multiplier, Sugar-Free Hydration Multiplier, and water). Each trial includes 2 hours of cycling in a warm environment (32ºC), followed by strength and cognitive assessments. Cycling performance, capillary blood, urine, and expiratory gases will be collected.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Dehydration; Dehydration Related to Exercise
• Intervention / Treatment: Dietary supplement: Water (Placebo); Dietary supplement: carbohydrate electrolyte drink; Dietary supplement: no-sugar electrolyte drink; Dietary supplement: Caffeinated Carbohydrate and electrolyte drink

Detailed Description

Each subject will complete 5 trials (1 familiarization and 4 experimental) consisting of approximately 2 hours cycling in a warm environment (90ºF), followed by strength assessment and cognitive assessment via questionnaire. Each trial will be identical, with the only difference being the type of drink consumed during each trial. The first trial will be for familiarization without any blood sampling. The rest of the trials will be completed in a randomized order and the drink consumed

Cycling Endurance Exercise Performance

The exercise test will consist of a series of three consecutive cycling sets in a warm environment (90ºF), with each series consisting of:

1. a 30-min submaximal ride (50% maximal power as determined from the initial)
2. a 5-km time trial race-like performance effort. During each 30 min submaximal rides participants will drink a total 500 mL of fluid spread out during the 30 min. During the 5 km performance test the participants will drink 25 mL of fluid at the end of each kilometer.

At regular intervals throughout the exercise task, body weight, blood samples, respiratory gasses, and perceptual data will be collected. See study schematic provided below for specific measurement timepoints.

Upon completion of the cycling task subjects will moved to another room with cool temperature (70ºF), where strength and cognitive function will be assessed to determine the influence of each beverage on indices of exercise performance and fatigue.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 26
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Arizona
    • Phoenix, Arizona, United States, 85004
      • Arizona State University - Hydration Science Lab

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age 18-55
• Healthy and injury-free (muscle, skeletal) for greater than 2 months
• Active cyclists who train at least 3 times per week
• Body mass index (BMI) range of 18.5-30 kg/m2

Exclusion Criteria:

• • History of caffeine sensitivity

  • Cancer Diagnosis during the last 5 years
  • Pregnancy
  • History of renal disease, hypertension
  • History of a heat stroke
  • Use of testosterone therapy
  • Adults who are unable to consent (impaired decision-making capacity)

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

4

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Placebo Comparator: Water; Water masked with non-caloric and no-sodium	Dietary supplement: Water (Placebo); flavored water with non-caloric, non-sodium-containing sweetner
Experimental: Carbohydrate electrolyte solution; 2% carbohydrate solution with 1,020 mg/L of Sodium	Dietary supplement: carbohydrate electrolyte drink; 2% carbohydrate solution with 1,020 mg/L of Sodium
Experimental: no-sugar electrolyte solution; 1% carbohydrate solution with 1,060 mg/L of Sodium	Dietary supplement: no-sugar electrolyte drink; 1% carbohydrate solution with 1,060 mg/L of Sodium
Experimental: Caffeinated carbohydrate electrolyte solution; 1% carbohydrate solution with 1,000 mg/L of Sodium, and 200mg/L Caffeine	Dietary supplement: Caffeinated Carbohydrate and electrolyte drink; 2% carbohydrate solution with 1,000 mg/L of Sodium, and 200mg/L caffeine

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
5 kilometer cycling time trial	Time in minutes of completion the 5 kilometer cycling time trial at the 3rd exercise bout.	During the 3rd time trial which is the last time trial.
5 kilometer Time trial performance	Time to completion the 2nd cycling time trial	2nd time trial
Isokinetic stregth	Peak torque at 60º/sec at dominant knee during extension	right after the cycling tests
Congitive performance 1	Attention Network Test score	after the completion of strength test
Cognitive performance 2	Working Memory Test score	after the end of the strength assessment
Congitive test 3	Stroop Task score	right after the strength test

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Blood glucose	Blood glucose levels during the 3rd cycling time trial.	at the end of the 3rd cycling time trial.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Arizona State University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Stavros Kavouras, PhD, Arizona State University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): December 12, 2025
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 16, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): December 16, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: October 3, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 3, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): December 6, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): January 27, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 26, 2026
• Last Verified: January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: caffeine; hydration; sports drinks
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pathologic Processes; Metabolic Diseases; Water-Electrolyte Imbalance; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases; Dehydration; Inorganic Chemicals; Anions; Ions; Electrolytes; Hydroxides; Alkalies; Oxides; Oxygen Compounds; Water
• Other Study ID Numbers: FP00041543; AWD00039989 (Other Identifier: ASU)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No