Effects of isolated and combined supplementation of caffeine and capsaicin on a self-paced 10-km running performance

Miércio Soares Melo; Francisco D 'Paula Vitor Ferreira; Matheus Hissa Lourenço Ferreira; Bruno Couto; Fernanda Guimarães Drummond E Silva; Samuel Penna Wanner; Marcos Daniel Motta Drummond

doi:10.1007/s00421-026-06456-7

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Effects of isolated and combined supplementation of caffeine and capsaicin on a self-paced 10-km running performance

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Effects of isolated and combined supplementation of caffeine and capsaicin on a self-paced 10-km running performance

Miércio Soares Melo, Francisco D 'Paula Vitor Ferreira, Matheus Hissa Lourenço Ferreira, Bruno Couto, Fernanda Guimarães Drummond E Silva, Samuel Penna Wanner and Marcos Daniel Motta Drummond

European Journal of Applied Physiology, Vol.Advanced access

06-Oct-2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-026-06456-7

PMID: 42836870

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Abstract

Physical exercise

Fatigue

Dietary supplements

Performance-enhancing substances

Sports nutrition

Purpose To investigate the acute effects of isolated and combined caffeine and capsaicin supplementation on performance and physiological, perceptual, and subjective responses during a self-paced 10-km run. Methods This randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled crossover trial included 27 runners, of whom 20 (32.3 ± 8.2 years; 8 women, 12 men) completed four conditions: caffeine (CAF; 6 mg·kg⁻1), capsaicin (CAP; 0.35 mg·kg⁻1), combined caffeine and capsaicin (CAF+CAP), and placebo. Supplements were ingested 45 min before running. Completion time, rating of perceived exertion (RPE), heart rate (HR), blood lactate, and subjective responses were assessed. Continuous and subjective outcomes were analyzed using linear and generalized linear mixed-effects models, respectively. Results The factorial model showed a significant main effect of caffeine on completion time (p = 0.0049), with no capsaicin effect or caffeine × capsaicin interaction. Pairwise comparisons showed a lower completion time only for CAF+CAP versus placebo (Tukey-adjusted p = 0.048; Dunnett-adjusted p = 0.028). Post-exercise blood lactate was higher with CAF+CAP than with all other conditions (all Tukey-adjusted p ≤ 0.022). Perceived vigor increased with CAF and CAF+CAP, while caffeine-containing conditions produced more frequent insomnia, anxiety, headache, and tachycardia. HR did not differ among conditions. Conclusion Combined CAF and CAP reduced 10-km completion time and increased post-exercise blood lactate and perceived vigor versus placebo. Session-RPE and heart rate did not differ among conditions; RPE differed only between CAF and CAP. CAF-containing conditions also produced more frequent transient adverse effects. Trial registration Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials, U1111-1333-3665, registered on February 2026.

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Title: Effects of isolated and combined supplementation of caffeine and capsaicin on a self-paced 10-km running performance
Authors: Miércio Soares Melo (Corresponding Author) - Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
Francisco D 'Paula Vitor Ferreira - Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
Matheus Hissa Lourenço Ferreira - Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
Bruno Couto - University of the Sunshine Coast
Fernanda Guimarães Drummond E Silva - Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto
Samuel Penna Wanner - Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
Marcos Daniel Motta Drummond - Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
Publication details: European Journal of Applied Physiology, Vol.Advanced access
Publisher: Springer
DOI: 10.1007/s00421-026-06456-7
ISSN: 1439-6327
PMID: 42836870
Copyright note: This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Data Availability: The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Grant note: This study was supported by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES), Brazil, Finance Code 001.
Organisation Unit: School of Health - Sports & Exercise Science
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991266495002621
Output Type: Journal article

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