Trial reportEuropean journal of applied physiology2018
Acute acetaminophen ingestion improves performance and muscle activation during maximal intermittent knee extensor exercise.
Trial report in European journal of applied physiology, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07440446 (Effect of Antipyretics in Gait Fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis), which is not on this map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
Effect of Antipyretics in Gait Fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis
Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 30 citations in OpenAlex.
- Dietary supplement and medication use in professional and pre-professional dancers: widespread use but limited evidence of benefit-a systematic review.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Pooled it
- Resistance training increases myofibrillar protein synthesis in middle-to-older aged adults consuming a typical diet with no influence of protein source: a randomized controlled trial.The American journal of clinical nutrition · 2025Trial
- Caffeine, but not paracetamol (acetaminophen), enhances muscular endurance, strength, and power.Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2024Trial
- Acute ingestion of acetaminophen improves cognitive and repeated high intensity short-term maximal performance in well-trained female athletes: a randomized placebo-controlled trial.European journal of applied physiology · 2024Trial
- Tramadol is a performance-enhancing drug in highly trained cyclists: a randomized controlled trial.Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985) · 2023Trial
- Letter to the editor concerning "association between lumbar paraspinal muscle activities and quality in chronic low back pain: a cross-sectional analysis" by Zhang, T., Firouzabadi, A., Becker, L. et al.(Eur Spine J [2025]: doi: 10.1007/s00586-025-08727-x).European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2025Article
- Acute effects of caffeine and paracetamol on velocity and power in resistance exercise.Frontiers in physiology · 2025Article
- Greater myofibrillar protein synthesis following weight-bearing activity in obese old compared with non-obese old and young individuals.GeroScience · 2024Article
- Interaction of Factors Determining Critical Power.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2023Review
- What is the Effect of Paracetamol (Acetaminophen) Ingestion on Exercise Performance? Current Findings and Future Research Directions.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2022Review
- Effects of Paracetamol (Acetaminophen) Ingestion on Endurance Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Review
- Contralateral fatigue during severe-intensity single-leg exercise: influence of acute acetaminophen ingestion.American journal of physiology. Regulatory, integrative and comparative physiology · 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
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
aimAcetaminophen is a commonly used medicine for pain relief and emerging evidence suggests that it may improve endurance exercise performance. This study investigated some of the physiological mechanisms by which acute acetaminophen ingestion might blunt muscle fatigue development.
methodsThirteen active males completed 60 × 3 s maximum voluntary contractions (MVC) of the knee extensors with each contraction separated by a 2 s passive recovery period. This protocol was completed 60 min after ingesting 1 g of maltodextrin (placebo) or 1 g of acetaminophen on two separate visits. Peripheral nerve stimulation was administered every 6th contraction for assessment of neuromuscular fatigue development, with the critical torque (CT), which reflects the maximal sustainable rate of oxidative metabolism, taken as the mean torque over the last 12 contractions. Surface electromyography was recorded continuously as a measure of muscle activation.
resultsMean torque (61 ± 11 vs. 58 ± 14% pre-exercise MVC) and CT (44 ± 13 vs. 40 ± 15% pre-exercise MVC) were greater in the acetaminophen trial compared to placebo (both P < 0.05). Voluntary activation and potentiated twitch declined at a similar rate in both conditions (P > 0.05). However, the decline in electromyography amplitude was attenuated in the acetaminophen trial, with electromyography amplitude being greater compared to placebo from 210 s onwards (P < 0.05).
conclusionThese findings indicate that acute acetaminophen ingestion might be ergogenic by increasing CT and preserving muscle activation during high-intensity exercise.
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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.