Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41441411›Full record

ArticleSports (Basel, Switzerland)2025

No Ergogenic Effect of Caffeine or Sodium Bicarbonate on Resistance Exercise Performance: A Double-Blind Crossover Study with Sex-Based Analysis.

Melissa L A Williams, Catherine Mary Evelyn Barrett, Ethan Lawson, Colin P Major, Ashley Sandra May Shea, Karlie Squires, Megan Squires, Reza Zare, Katie M Heinrich, David George Behm

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Sports (Basel, Switzerland), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Melissa L A WilliamsSchool of Human Kinetics and Recreation, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL A1C 5S7, Canada.
Catherine Mary Evelyn BarrettSchool of Human Kinetics and Recreation, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL A1C 5S7, Canada.
Ethan LawsonSchool of Human Kinetics and Recreation, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL A1C 5S7, Canada.ORCID 0009-0000-4155-7137
Colin P MajorSchool of Human Kinetics and Recreation, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL A1C 5S7, Canada.
Ashley Sandra May SheaSchool of Human Kinetics and Recreation, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL A1C 5S7, Canada.
Karlie SquiresSchool of Human Kinetics and Recreation, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL A1C 5S7, Canada.
Megan SquiresSchool of Human Kinetics and Recreation, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL A1C 5S7, Canada.
Reza ZareSRH Campus Hamburg, SRH University of Applied Sciences, 20095 Hamburg, Germany.
Katie M HeinrichDepartment of Kinesiology, College of Health and Human Sciences, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-6837-408X
David George BehmSchool of Human Kinetics and Recreation, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL A1C 5S7, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-9406-6056

Funding

Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada RGPIN-2023-05861
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Caffeine, a nervous system stimulant, and sodium bicarbonate, a metabolic buffer, have been shown to improve performance in high-intensity, particularly aerobic, exercises. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study compared the acute effects of caffeine and sodium bicarbonate on chest press (CP) and knee extension (KE) performance. Twelve resistance-trained young adults (seven females) completed three testing sessions during which they consumed caffeine (0.003 g/kg of body weight), sodium bicarbonate (0.3 g/kg of body weight), or placebo at 120, 90, and 60 min prior to testing. Testing consisted of six sets of CP and KE for as many repetitions as possible at 70% of the participants' 1-repetition maximum load. A 60 s recovery between sets, and 2 min recovery was allocated between exercises. Blood pressure and blood lactate were recorded pre-, mid-, and post-test. Heart rate, ratings of perceived exertion (RPE), repetitions, and electromyography (EMG) were recorded for every set. No significant differences were found under any condition for RPE, EMG, and KE repetitions. A main effect for groups revealed was increased CP repetitions with sodium bicarbonate (7.42; 95%CI: 6.8-7.9) versus caffeine (6.7; 95%CI: 6.1-7.3) and control (7.1; 95%CI: 6.4-7.6) conditions. However, post hoc analysis did not achieve significance. Diastolic blood pressure was significantly (

Indexed as

chest pressergogenicknee extensionresistance trainingsupplements

Identifiers

PMID41441411
PMCPMC12736795

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

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.