ArticleNutrition & metabolism2013
The effects of caffeine, nicotine, ethanol, and tetrahydrocannabinol on exercise performance.
Article in Nutrition & metabolism, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 36 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
36 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 132 citations in OpenAlex.
- Restriction of salt, caffeine and alcohol intake for the treatment of Ménière's disease or syndrome.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2018Pooled it
- Cannabis Use and Sport: A Systematic Review.Sports healthPooled it
- Individual responses to encapsulated caffeine and caffeine chewing gum on strength and power in strength-trained males.Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2025Trial
- Nicotine supplementation enhances simulated game performance of archery athletes.Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2021Trial
- The effects of supplementation with P-Synephrine alone and in combination with caffeine on resistance exercise performance.Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2015Trial
- Cannabidiol: Pharmaceutical formulations and biomedical applications.Iranian journal of basic medical sciences · 2026Review
- Elucidation of the effects of caffeine consumption on estrous cycle, hematology, and lipid profile of female Wistar rats.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Cannabis use is not associated with altered levels of physical activity: evidence from the repeated cross-sectional Belgian Health Interview Survey.Journal of cannabis research · 2025Article
- Differences between preemptive and non-preemptive physical activity among 'drunkorexia'-positive college students.Journal of American college health : J of ACH · 2024Article
- Dietary Intake of Athletes at the World Masters Athletics Championships as Assessed by Single 24 h Recall.Nutrients · 2024Article
- Prevalence of sleep disturbance among adolescents with substance use: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health · 2023Article
- Spectral properties of physiological mirror activity: an investigation of frequency features and common input between homologous muscles.Scientific reports · 2022Article
- Cannabis and Athletic Performance.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2021Review
- Caffeine improves biochemical and specific performance after judo training: a double-blind crossover study in a real judo training situation.Nutrition & metabolism · 2021Article
- Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation reduces motor slowing in athletes and non-athletes.BMC neuroscience · 2020Article
- Health Effects Associated With Electronic Cigarette Use: Automated Mining of Online Forums.Journal of medical Internet research · 2020Article
- Changes in neurovascular coupling during cycling exercise measured by multi-distance fNIRS: a comparison between endurance athletes and physically active controls.Experimental brain research · 2019Article
- Exploring biocultural models of chewing tobacco and paan among reproductive-aged women: Self-medication, protection, or gender inequality?American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council · 2019Article
- Ethanol Induces Sedation and Hypnosis via Inhibiting Histamine Release in Mice.Neurochemical research · 2019Article
- Combined Effect Of Coffee Consumption And Cigarette Smoking On Serum Levels Of Vitamin B12, Folic Acid, And Lipid Profile In Young Male: A Cross-Sectional Study.International journal of general medicine · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Caffeine, nicotine, ethanol and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are among the most prevalent and culturally accepted drugs in western society. For example, in Europe and North America up to 90% of the adult population drinks coffee daily and, although less prevalent, the other drugs are also used extensively by the population. Smoked tobacco, excessive alcohol consumption and marijuana (cannabis) smoking are addictive and exhibit adverse health effects. These drugs are not only common in the general population, but have also made their way into elite sports because of their purported performance-altering potential. Only one of the drugs (i.e., caffeine) has enough scientific evidence indicating an ergogenic effect. There is some preliminary evidence for nicotine as an ergogenic aid, but further study is required; cannabis and alcohol can exhibit ergogenic potential under specific circumstances but are in general believed to be ergolytic for sports performance. These drugs are currently (THC, ethanol) or have been (caffeine) on the prohibited list of the World Anti-Doping Agency or are being monitored (nicotine) due to their potential ergogenic or ergolytic effects. The aim of this brief review is to evaluate the effects of caffeine, nicotine, ethanol and THC by: 1) examining evidence supporting the ergogenic or ergolytic effects; 2) providing an overview of the mechanism(s) of action and physiological effects; and 3) where appropriate, reviewing their impact as performance-altering aids used in recreational and elite sports.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.