ReviewEuropean journal of nutrition2021
Can taste be ergogenic?
Review in European journal of nutrition, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 25 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
25 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 52 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effects of Caffeine Dose and Administration Method on Time-Trial Performance: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.Nutrients · 2025Pooled it
- The Effect of Beetroot Ingestion on High-Intensity Interval Training: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Nutrients · 2021Pooled it
- Neck cooling, with or without menthol mouth rinse, improves repeated-shuttle sprint performance and perceived thermal strain in hijab-wearing female futsal players in hot-dry indoor conditions.European journal of applied physiology · 2026Trial
- Caffeinated chewing gum produces comparable strength and power gains to capsules with fewer side effects in resistance-trained men.Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2025Trial
- Effect of Caffeinated Chewing Gum on Maximal Strength, Muscular Power, and Muscle Recruitment During Bench Press and Back Squat Exercises.Nutrients · 2025Trial
- Trial
- A Menthol-Enhanced "Cooling" Energy Gel Does Not Influence Laboratory Time Trial Performance in Trained Runners.Nutrients · 2023Trial
- How Attention Changes in Response to Carbohydrate Mouth Rinsing.Nutrients · 2023Trial
- Mouth rinsing and ingesting salty or bitter solutions does not influence corticomotor excitability or neuromuscular function.European journal of applied physiology · 2023Trial
- Menthol Mouth Rinsing Maintains Relative Power Production during Three-Minute Maximal Cycling Performance in the Heat Compared to Cold Water and Placebo Rinsing.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Trial
- Trial
- Effects of 8 Weeks of 2S-Hesperidin Supplementation on Performance in Amateur Cyclists.Nutrients · 2020Trial
- A comprehensive review of the physiology and evidence base to guide the use of ergogenic and medical supplements for enhanced cycling performance.Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2026Review
- A Narrative Review of the High-Carbohydrate Fueling Revolution (≥ 100 g/h) in the Professional Peloton.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026Review
- Caffeinated chewing gum enhances maximal strength and muscular endurance during bench press and back squat exercises in resistance-trained men.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Article
- The Effect of Menthol Mouth Rinsing and Fluid Temperature on Male Cycling Performance in Thermoneutral Conditions.Nutrients · 2024Article
- Limits of Ultra: Towards an Interdisciplinary Understanding of Ultra-Endurance Running Performance.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2024Review
- The Physiological Requirements of and Nutritional Recommendations for Equestrian Riders.Nutrients · 2023Review
- Sodium Bicarbonate and Time-to-Exhaustion Cycling Performance: A Retrospective Analysis Exploring the Mediating Role of Expectation.Sports medicine - open · 2023Article
- A Matter of Taste: Roles of Taste Preference on Performance and Psychological Responses during Anaerobic Exercise.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
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
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Taste is a homeostatic function that conveys valuable information, such as energy density, readiness to eat, or toxicity of foodstuffs. Taste is not limited to the oral cavity but affects multiple physiological systems. In this review, we outline the ergogenic potential of substances that impart bitter, sweet, hot and cold tastes administered prior to and during exercise performance and whether the ergogenic benefits of taste are attributable to the placebo effect. Carbohydrate mouth rinsing seemingly improves endurance performance, along with a potentially ergogenic effect of oral exposure to both bitter tastants and caffeine although subsequent ingestion of bitter mouth rinses is likely required to enhance performance. Hot and cold tastes may prove beneficial in circumstances where athletes' thermal state may be challenged. Efficacy is not limited to taste, but extends to the stimulation of targeted receptors in the oral cavity and throughout the digestive tract, relaying signals pertaining to energy availability and temperature to appropriate neural centres. Dose, frequency and timing of tastant application likely require personalisation to be most effective, and can be enhanced or confounded by factors that relate to the placebo effect, highlighting taste as a critical factor in designing and administering applied sports science interventions.
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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.