Short-term Effects of Caffeine and a Multi-ingredient Pre-workout on Exercise Performance

NCT ID: NCT07024940

Last Updated: 2025-08-19

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 12 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2025-04-25
• Study Completion Date: 2026-09-01

Brief Summary

The investigators are conducting a study to see how a commercial pre-workout supplement, coffee, and water affect how well people perform. The study is conducted across four visits. The first visit is to assess the participants, and the next three visits are for testing. Each participant will drink a randomly assigned beverage 45 minutes before testing. Throughout the study, the participants will complete three testing days-each at least three days apart-so they can try all three drinks. The first test is the Wingate test, where the participants pedal as fast as they can for 30 seconds against a set resistance. The second test is a 1-mile treadmill run/walk on an incline, where the participant tries to complete the distance as fast as possible. The third test measures reaction time using light-up buttons to see how quickly a participant responds by touching them. These tests will help determine if any of the drinks improve performance. The results can help people choose the best drink for their workouts or races.

Detailed Description

This study is being conducted to evaluate how a commercial pre-workout supplement with multiple ingredients and coffee affects how people perform during exercise testing. The study takes place over 4 separate lab visits. The first lab visit is an assessment for each participant to help define the population to be tested. Then, three testing visits will be identical in design but will differ in the intervention given to the participant. Each participant will consume the pre-workout, coffee, and a placebo in a randomized order. At the beginning of each visit, the participant will consume their assigned beverage. The participants will then start a warm-up after 30 minutes of consuming the assigned beverage. After the 10-minute warm-up, the participant will rest for five minutes before conducting the testing. In the testing visits, participants will conduct a 1-mile treadmill run, in which the participant will determine their speed using a 1% incline. This allows the participant to control the speed, allowing them to try as hard as they can. The next test will be a Wingate cycle ergometer test. The test contains a 20-second warm-up followed by a three-second period where the participant will pedal as fast as they can until the test begins, then they will do an all-out effort for 30 seconds. The participant will then conduct an agility reaction time test to measure any benefits the interventions may have on cognitive function.

Conditions

Coffee; Anthocyanins; Exercise Performance

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Primary Study Purpose: OTHER
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Ethiopian Coffee

A light roast Ethiopian Coffee is used based on previous research using the same technique for brewing. The coffee is brewed using the Aeropress coffee maker and the Timemore C3Pro hand grinder to grind the coffee. The recipe uses 15 grams of ground coffee set at the same grind setting (16 clicks) and 200 grams of water to have a target cup size of 175 mL plus 50 grams of ice to rapidly cool down the drink for consumption.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Ethiopian Coffee

Intervention Type: OTHER

Ethiopian Coffee is used as a real-world example of one of the most common drinks in the world.

Anthocyanin-Caffeine

An anthocyanin-caffeine pre-workout supplement containing 120 mg of anthocyanins from New Zealand Blackcurrant berries, along with 120 mg of caffeine. This single-serve packet is stirred into 8 ounces of water and served.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Supplement

Intervention Type: DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

A pre-workout supplement that contains anthocyanins and caffeine as ergogenic aids

Water

Water used as a constant water intake across all three arms

Group Type: PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Water (Placebo)

Intervention Type: OTHER

Bottled water acting as the placebo

Interventions

Ethiopian Coffee

Ethiopian Coffee is used as a real-world example of one of the most common drinks in the world.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Supplement

A pre-workout supplement that contains anthocyanins and caffeine as ergogenic aids

Intervention Type: DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Water (Placebo)

Bottled water acting as the placebo

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Are a healthy male or female adult aged 18-35 years old
• Regularly engaged in resistance training or aerobic exercise at least 3 times per week, at least 30 minutes a week for the past 6 months
• Able to provide written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria

• Have a history of or currently have a cardiovascular or metabolic disease (e.g., diabetes, prediabetes, hypertension, arrhythmia, heart attack, stroke, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, chronic kidney disease)
• History of seizure disorder
• Currently taking prescription medications (e.g., beta-blockers, antidepressants, anti-anxiety, pain killers)
• Currently pregnant, breastfeeding, pregnant within the past year, or a chance of being pregnant
• Recent participation in another clinical trial
• Any sensitivities to caffeine, coffee, berries, maltodextrin, monk fruit extract, or any known food allergies
• Currently undertaking serious exercise training (6 or more days of the week)
• Recently started taking creatine or beta-alanine daily within the past 3 months. (If greater than 3 months taken consistently is okay)

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 35 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

St. Louis University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Hossein Rafiei

Assistant Professor, Nutrition and Dietetics

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Hossein Rafiei, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

St. Louis University

Locations

Saint Louis University

St Louis, Missouri, United States

Site Status: RECRUITING

Countries

United States

Central Contacts

Dylan Moffatt, Bsc

Role: CONTACT

dylan.moffatt@slu.edu

314-977-8675

Facility Contacts

Hossein Rafiei, PhD

Role: primary

hossein.rafiei@health.slu.edu

314-977-8675

References

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Reference Type: BACKGROUND

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Reference Type: BACKGROUND

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Reference Type: BACKGROUND

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Reference Type: BACKGROUND

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Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 21881155 (View on PubMed)

Kaczka P, Batra A, Kubicka K, Maciejczyk M, Rzeszutko-Belzowska A, Pezdan-Sliz I, Michalowska-Sawczyn M, Przydzial M, Plonka A, Cieszczyk P, Huminska-Lisowska K, Zajac T. Effects of Pre-Workout Multi-Ingredient Supplement on Anaerobic Performance: Randomized Double-Blind Crossover Study. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Nov 9;17(21):8262. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17218262.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 33182295 (View on PubMed)

Krzysztof, Wioleta Dorobek, Katarzyna Stankiewicz, Janusz Świeczkowski-Feiz. The Role of Caffeine in Enhancing Physical Performance: From Metabolism to Muscle Function. Journal of Education, Health and Sport. 2024;59. doi:10.12775/JEHS.2024.59.010

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

Other Identifiers

34611

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id