SynthesisSports medicine - open2026
Fast-Acting Caffeine Strategy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Ergogenic Effects of Caffeine Chewing Gum on Physical Performance.
Synthesis in Sports medicine - open, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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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.
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundCaffeine gum is a fast-acting delivery method that rapidly elevates circulating caffeine levels and may improve physical performance. Given the recent growth in research, an updated systematic review and meta-analysis is warranted.
objectivesTo evaluate the acute effects of caffeine gum on physical performance compared with placebo, and investigate potential moderators including (1) training status, (2) exercise type, (3) chewing duration, (4) caffeine habituation (i.e., habitual intake), (5) caffeine dosage, and (6) timing of administration relative to exercise.
methodsThe review followed the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions and PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus and SPORTDiscus were searched up to March 2026. Three-level meta-analyses were synthesized for outcomes. Sensitivity analyses addressed assumptions within-subject correlations, outliers, and influential cases. Risk of bias was assessed using standardized tools.
resultsThirty-one studies were assessed for full-text eligibility, of which 25 (n = 390 participants) met the inclusion criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. Caffeine gum produced a trivial but significant improvement in physical performance (SMD = 0.195, 95% CI [0.115, 0.275], p = 0.001; GRADE: low) with very low heterogeneity (I
conclusionCaffeine gum produced statistically significant but trivial improvements in physical performance, suggesting limited practical significance. However, even these small improvements may provide a competitive advantage in certain sporting situations. Registration The protocol was prospectively registered in the PROSPERO database (CRD420251086458).
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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.