Low-Dose Caffeine and Taurine Effects on Performance (CATAP)

March 10, 2026 updated by: Yakup Kose, Ankara University

Synergistic Effects of Low-Dose Caffeine and Taurine on Anaerobic, Neuromuscular, and Cognitive Performance: A Double-Blind Randomized Placebo-Controlled Crossover Study

This study aims to investigate the effects of low-dose caffeine and taurine, administered separately and in combination, on anaerobic, neuromuscular, and cognitive performance. The study is designed as a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial involving trained man participants. Each participant will complete experimental sessions under different supplementation conditions, including caffeine, taurine, their combination, and placebo. Performance outcomes will include anaerobic power, neuromuscular performance, and cognitive function assessments. The findings will help clarify whether the combined ingestion of caffeine and taurine produces synergistic performance effects compared with isolated supplementation.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Caffeine and taurine are commonly consumed ingredients in coffee and energy drinks and are frequently used as ergogenic aids to enhance physical and cognitive performance. Although both compounds have been widely investigated individually, evidence regarding their combined effects remains limited and inconsistent. Understanding whether caffeine and taurine produce synergistic or additive effects is important for clarifying their role in sports performance and supplementation strategies.

The present study is designed as a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial to examine the isolated and combined effects of low-dose caffeine and taurine on anaerobic, neuromuscular, and cognitive performance in trained individuals. Participants will complete multiple experimental sessions under different supplementation conditions, including caffeine, taurine, their combination, and placebo. During each session, participants will undergo standardized performance assessments to evaluate anaerobic power, neuromuscular performance, and cognitive function. The crossover design allows each participant to serve as their own control, minimizing inter-individual variability. The findings of this study may provide further insight into the potential synergistic effects of caffeine and taurine supplementation on performance outcomes.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

32

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Merkez
      • Burdur, Merkez, Turkey (Türkiye), 15100
        • Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University Faculty of Sport Science

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Male participants aged 18 to 25 years
  • Regularly engaged in strength training at least three days per week for the previous 24 months
  • Apparently healthy with no self-reported cardiovascular, metabolic, neurological, or musculoskeletal disorders
  • Free from injuries affecting skeletal muscles, joints, or tendons during the previous two years

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Use of medications or dietary supplements that may influence physical or cognitive performance
  • Known sensitivity or intolerance to caffeine or taurine
  • Consumption of caffeine or other stimulants within 24 hours prior to the testing sessions
  • Failure to comply with pre-testing instructions or study procedures

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Caffeine
Participants receive caffeine at a dose of 2 mg/kg body mass in capsule form 60 minutes prior to the performance testing session. Anaerobic, neuromuscular, and cognitive performance outcomes are assessed following supplementation.
Dietary supplement: Caffeine
Caffeine administered at a dose of 2 mg/kg body mass in capsule form, 60 minutes prior to performance testing.
Other Names:
  • CAF
Dietary supplement: Placebo
Placebo capsule containing maltodextrin (300 mg) administered 60 minutes prior to testing.
Other Names:
  • PLA
Experimental: Taurine
Participants receive taurine at a dose of 10 mg/kg body mass in capsule form 60 minutes prior to the performance testing session. Anaerobic, neuromuscular, and cognitive performance outcomes are assessed following supplementation.
Dietary supplement: Placebo
Placebo capsule containing maltodextrin (300 mg) administered 60 minutes prior to testing.
Other Names:
  • PLA
Dietary supplement: taurine
Taurine administered at a dose of 10 mg/kg body mass in capsule form, 60 minutes prior to performance testing.
Other Names:
  • TAU
Experimental: Caffeine + Taurine
Participants receive a combination of caffeine (2 mg/kg) and taurine (10 mg/kg) in capsule form 60 minutes prior to the performance testing session. Performance assessments include anaerobic, neuromuscular, and cognitive outcomes.
Dietary supplement: Caffeine + Taurine
Combined supplementation of caffeine (2 mg/kg) and taurine (10 mg/kg) administered 60 minutes prior to testing.
Other Names:
  • CAF+TAU
Placebo Comparator: Plasebo (Maltodextrine 300 mg)
Participants receive a placebo capsule containing maltodextrin (300 mg) 60 minutes prior to the performance testing session. The same performance tests are administered to allow comparison with the supplementation conditions.
Dietary supplement: Placebo
Placebo capsule containing maltodextrin (300 mg) administered 60 minutes prior to testing.
Other Names:
  • PLA

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Anaerobic Power
Time Frame: 60 minutes after supplementation
Anaerobic power measured during the Wingate Anaerobic Test following supplementation conditions (caffeine, taurine, caffeine + taurine, and placebo).
60 minutes after supplementation

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Neuromuscular Performance
Time Frame: 60 minutes after supplementation
Neuromuscular performance assessed using handgrip strength measured with a hand dynamometer following supplementation.
60 minutes after supplementation

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Ankara University

Collaborators

Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Yakup Köse, MsC, Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

  • Köse Y, Ulaş M, Atay E. Synergistic Effects of Low-Dose Caffeine and Taurine on Anaerobic, Neuromuscular, and Cognitive Performance: A Double-Blind Randomized Placebo-Controlled Crossover Study. 2026.

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

October 15, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

November 15, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

November 15, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 6, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 10, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

March 12, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 12, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 10, 2026

Last Verified

March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • YK-CAF-TAU-2025 (Other Identifier: Internal protocol identifier assigned by Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant-level data will not be publicly shared. Aggregated data supporting the findings of this study may be available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Study Data/Documents

  1. Informed Consent Form
    Information identifier: Informed Consent Form

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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