SynthesisNutrients2021
Caffeine and Cognitive Functions in Sports: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Synthesis in Nutrients, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 50 papers, 11 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
50 citing papers in PubMed, 11 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 73 citations in OpenAlex.
- Nutritional supplements to improve esports player performance: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2026Pooled it
- Revisiting the evidence on caffeine mouth rinse: effects on exercise and cognitive performance: a meta-analytic review.Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2026Pooled it
- Caffeine Use in Sport: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Acute Side Effects and Implications for Athlete Health and Safety.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Nutritional Strategies for Optimizing Health, Sports Performance, and Recovery for Female Athletes and Other Physically Active Women: A Systematic Review.Nutrition reviews · 2025Pooled it
- Mental fatigue in golf: A systematic review.PloS one · 2025Pooled it
- Effects of Caffeinated Chewing Gum on Exercise Performance and Physiological Responses: A Systematic Review.Nutrients · 2024Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Stimulant abuse as a coping strategy-Forensic and criminal consequences of stimulant abuse for neuroenhancement.Frontiers in public health · 2022Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Mental Fatigue and Basketball Performance: A Systematic Review.Frontiers in psychology · 2021Pooled it
- Ketone monoester ingestion and cognitive and physical performance during exercise-heat stress.Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2026Trial
- Trial
- Trial
- 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
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- Are caffeine effects equivalent between different modes of administration: the acute effects of 3 mg.kgJournal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2024Trial
- The effect of repeated coffee mouth rinsing and caffeinated gum consumption on aerobic capacity and explosive power of table tennis players: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study.Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2024Trial
- The dose-dependent effect of caffeine supplementation on performance, reaction time and postural stability in CrossFit - a randomized placebo-controlled crossover trial.Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2024Trial
- Trial
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
Cognitive functions are essential in any form of exercise. Recently, interest has mounted in addressing the relationship between caffeine intake and cognitive performance during sports practice. This review examines this relationship through a structured search of the databases Medline/PubMed and Web of Science for relevant articles published in English from August 1999 to March 2020. The study followed PRISMA guidelines. Inclusion criteria were defined according to the PICOS model. The identified records reported on randomized cross-over studies in which caffeine intake (as drinks, capsules, energy bars, or gum) was compared to an identical placebo situation. There were no filters on participants' training level, gender, or age. For the systematic review, 13 studies examining the impacts of caffeine on objective measures of cognitive performance or self-reported cognitive performance were selected. Five of these studies were also subjected to meta-analysis. After pooling data in the meta-analysis, the significant impacts of caffeine only emerged on attention, accuracy, and speed. The results of the 13 studies, nevertheless, suggest that the intake of a low/moderate dose of caffeine before and/or during exercise can improve self-reported energy, mood, and cognitive functions, such as attention; it may also improve simple reaction time, choice reaction time, memory, or fatigue, however, this may depend on the research protocols.
Indexed as
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.