Caffeine, Placebo
Conditions
Keywords
exercise performance
Brief summary
The purpose of this project is to investigate the effects of caffeine chewing gum on the cognitive functions and special operations capabilities of special forces.
Detailed description
Using a randomisation crossover design, 20-40 active-duty special forces members who had undergone leave and special forces reserve training were divided into a caffeine trial (CAF) and a placebo trail (PL). After chewing caffeine-containing gum containing 5 mg/kg (CAF group) or caffeine-free gum (PL group) for 15 minutes, then performed a simple reaction test, a stroop test, a visual search test, a grip strength test, a vertical jump test, a 20-metre sprint test, and a counter-terrorism simulation test. A heart rate monitor was used to measure the heart rate and heart rate variability of the participants. Saliva samples were collected and analysed for α-Amylase, cortisol and caffeine concentrations before the test, after a 15-minute break from chewing gum and at the end of the test. Completion time of cognitive functions, grip strength, vertical jump height, 20 m sprint time, time to completion of the counterterrorism simulation test, and target score will be analysed using paired-sample t-tests.
Interventions
DIETARY_SUPPLEMENTcaffeine
The participants chewing either caffeine Gum (CAF trial, containing 3 mg/kg of caffeine) or Placebo Gum (PL) for 10 minutes. After rested for 15 minutes, the participants underwent tests.
Sponsors
National Taiwan Sport University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Investigator)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
MALE
Age
20 Years to 40 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Active Special Warfare Unit members who have passed the Grade A Special Forces Reserve Training * No cardiovascular and joint diseases * Adult male over 20 years old
Exclusion criteria
* Non-active Special Warfare Unit members * Have cardiovascular and joint diseases * Under age
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Stroop task | 15 minutes after intervention | The color-word Stroop task were conducted using Psych/Lab for Windows. The reaction time (millisecond) were recorded. |
| visual search test | 15 minutes after intervention | The visual search test were conducted using Psych/Lab for Windows. The reaction time (millisecond) were recorded. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| anti-terrorist operations | 15 minutes after intervention | Target shooting and target finding. The completed time (seconds) were recorded. |
Countries
Taiwan
Outcome results
None listed