The present master thesis aimed to examine the effect of caffeine during cycling on a cycle ergometer at a simulated altitude of 3500 m with the key aim to measure and determine the effect of caffeine in hypoxia on athletic performance. We also wanted to investigate whether the effect of caffeine differs between men and women and in other gender-related differences.
For this purpose, 26 healthy adult participants (13 men, 13 women) iwere recruited for the present study. The main part of the project was conducted as a randomized crossover study with four experimental conditions: normoxia (ambient air) versus hypoxia (inspired oxygen fraction = 0.135), and placebo (20 g maltodextrin) versus caffeine (20 g maltodextrin + 6 mg/kg body weight caffeine). Each trial included a submaximal exercise test consisting of 10 minutes of cycling at 40% VO₂max, followed by an incremental test to exhaustion. The continuously measured variables included oxygen uptake (VO₂), ventilation, heart rate, oxygen saturation (SpO₂), lactate concentration, rating of perceived exertion, and maximal power output.
During submaximal exercise in normobaric hypoxia, statistically significant differences were observed with caffeine ingestion in blood oxygen saturation (81 ± 5.6% vs. 78 ± 5.5%), perceived exertion (12 vs. 13), and blood lactate concentration (4.4 ± 1.1 mmol/L vs. 3.7 ± 1.0 mmol/L). Under maximal effort, the effect of caffeine was reflected in a higher peak power output (277 ± 56 W vs. 267 ± 55 W), oxygen uptake (48 ± 8.9 ml/kg/min vs. 44 ± 9.1 ml/kg/min), maximal heart rate (182 ± 12 bpm vs. 179 ± 9 bpm), and blood lactate concentration (10.9 ± 2.8 mmol/L vs. 9.6 ± 2.6 mmol/L).
Based on the results, we concluded that caffeine enhances certain aspects of athletic performance in hypoxia, particularly at maximal effort, whereas its effect on some physiological variables during submaximal exercise is less pronounced or inconsistent. It was also found to influence the perception of exertion. However, no significant differences were observed between men and women in their response to caffeine.
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