Effect of short term consumption of energy drink on physiological responses and physical performance variables of athletes in UCC

Abstract

Current research has shown varied results when comparing the effects of energy drink on anaerobic exercise measures. Athletes in Ghana have been using energy drink but hardly has any research been conducted on the effect this pre-exercise consumption has on their physical performance. The purpose of this study was to find out the effects of short-term consumption of energy drink on some blood pressure, heart rate, agility, lower body strength and upper body strength of athletes of the University of Cape Coast. To ascertain this, participants were taken through performance tests in a pre-test and a post-test. The intervention in this study was the consumption of 250ml of energy drink. Forty-four athletes (Age:22.32 ± 2.81 years, height: 167.2 ± 9.83 cm, weight: 61.12± 8.01 kg). Paired sample t test results showed no significant effect of energy drink consumption on systolic blood pressure (t = -0.78, p= 0.437), diastolic blood pressure (t = -0.91, p = 0.366), heart. rate (t = -030, p = 0.759) and lower body strength (t = 0.11, p =0.916). However, there were significant changes in agility (t =5.42, p = 0.001) and upper body strength (t = -2.79, p = 0.008). In view of this, athletes, trainers, and coaches could consider recommending the use of energy drink as a pre-exercise supplement, especially in events involving agility and upper body strength.

Energy drinks in Tamale: Understanding youth perceptions, consumption patterns, and related factors

“…This trend is also consistent with studies conducted among adolescents in Shanghai, China (70.5%) and in Ho (85.6%) [19,41]. The high prevalence of ever-consuming EDs is attributed to factors such as curiosity and perceived utility [24,36]. Their increasing popularity is also attributed to various factors, including individual factors such as perceived benefits, targeted marketing strategies, and limited knowledge about these beverages [21,32,42].…”

“…This study builds upon existing research on ED consumption in Ghana, expanding beyond previous investigations that predominantly focused on specific cohorts like students, studentathletes, and drivers [19][20][21][22][23][24]. However, they have left a gap in our understanding of ED consumption among the general youth population.…”