SynthesisJournal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition2025
Fed, not fasted: is carbohydrate mouth rinsing still ergogenic? A three-level meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 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
5 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled 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
- Pooled it
- Dietary interventions interact with the perception of effort and enhance endurance performance: a brief narrative review.Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2026Review
- Review
- Smelling Salts or Smoke and Mirrors? Acute Ammonia Inhalation, Arousal, and Physical Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Brain sciences · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundCarbohydrate (CHO) mouth rinsing improves performance by stimulating oral receptors linked to brain regions involved in motor control and motivation, without requiring digestive processing. Most research has focused on fasting states, but the effects of postprandial CHO mouth rinsing remain inconclusive. This study aims to synthesize existing studies on the impact of postprandial CHO mouth rinsing on exercise and cognitive performance, offering insights for future research and practical recommendations for athletes and coaches.
methodsSix databases (Pubmed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, SciELO and SPORTDiscus) were searched up to March 2025 for randomized, placebo-controlled trials in healthy adults who performed exercise or cognitive tasks under fed conditions following CHO mouth rinsing. A three-level random-effects meta-analysis was performed for exercise performance, while narrative synthesis was applied for cognitive outcomes. For exercise performance, moderator and meta-regression analyses examined sex, training status, exercise modality, rinse composition and concentration, rinse duration, timing of food intake and pre-exercise dietary content.
resultsThirty-five articles met inclusion criteria: two assessed cognitive performance and thirty-three evaluated exercise performance. Overall, CHO mouth rinsing improved cognitive function under fed conditions compared with placebo, though certainty was very low. Meta-analysis showed a small but significant ergogenic effect on exercise performance (Hedges' g = 0.18, 95% CI [0.09, 0.28],
conclusionsThis systematic review and three-level meta-analysis provides evidence that CHO mouth rinsing is ergogenic under fed conditions, improving both exercise and cognitive performance, though the overall certainty of evidence is low. Practical applications include its potential use as a simple, noninvasive ergogenic aid, particularly when combined with specific exercise modalities and nutritional strategies.
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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.