Pre-Exercise Caffeine Intake Attenuates the Negative Effects of Ramadan Fasting on Several Aspects of High-Intensity Short-Term Maximal Performances in Adolescent Female Handball Players

Abstract

The aim of this investigation was to determine whether, after Ramadan, pre-exercise caffeine intake can reduce any possible negative effects of this month on short-term maximal performances in young female handball players. A randomized study involved thirteen young female handball players. Participants performed a squat jump (SJ), Illinois agility test (AG), and 5 m run shuttles test (total (TD) and peak (PD) distances) at 08:00 AM and 06:00 PM on three different occasions: one week before Ramadan (Pre-R), the last week of Ramadan (R), and the week after Ramadan (Post-R). A placebo (Pla) or caffeine (Caff) (6 mg·kg−1) was administered 60 min before exercise test sessions at two distinct times of day (08:00 AM and 06:00 PM) during the two periods: Pre and Post-R. The PSQI and dietary intake were assessed during all testing periods. The results revealed that Pre-R, (SJ, AG, TD, and PD) test performances were greater in the evening (PM) than in the morning (AM) (all p < 0.001). However, compared with Pre-R, PM performances declined significantly during R (all p < 0.001) and Post-R (p < 0.05, p < 0.01, p < 0.01 and p < 0.001, respectively). In addition, Pre-R, AM Caff produced moderate significant improvements compared with AM Pla, with small-to-no beneficial effects observed with PM Caff in SJ (4.8% vs. 1%), AG (1.8% vs. 0.8%), TD (2.8% vs. 0.3%), and PD (6% vs. 0.9%). Nevertheless, Caff produced moderate ergogenic effects during both AM and PM sessions during Post-R in SJ (4.4% vs. 2.4%), AG (1.7% vs. 1.5%), TD (2.9% vs. 1.3%), and PD (5.8% vs. 3%) with values approaching those of Pre-R Pla within the same time of day (p > 0.05, p > 0.05, p < 0.05, and p < 0.05, respectively). In summary, pre-exercise Caff intake with a dose equivalent to 6 mg·kg−1 reduced the negative effects of Ramadan fasting in several aspects of short-term maximal performances in young female handball players at both times of the day.

Ramadan Fasting and Short-Term Maximal Physical Performance: Searching for Optimal Timing of the Last Meal “Suhoor” in Female Pre-University Handball Players

“…This shift was accompanied by an increase in the overall PSQI score (higher more than three times) and sleep quality (higher more than four times) compared to before RIF. Whereas recent studies [5,35,43] have highlighted a negative impact on subjective sleep quality during RIF, other studies revealed no significant change in sleep quality or duration [46,47]. The inconsistencies in the effects of RIF on sleep may be due to variations in methodology, study populations, or lifestyle differences.…”

“…As described by Bougrine et al [35], the validated Arabic version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index [32] was used to assess the subjective quality of sleep throughout the course of the previous month and for the duration of each experimental test period (10 consecutive days).…”

“…As described by Bougrine et al [35], participants recorded their food intake in a food consumption diary throughout the span of a 10-day period during each of the three testing periods (R − 10, R, and R + 10).…”

Optimizing Short-Term Maximal Exercise Performance: The Superior Efficacy of a 6 mg/kg Caffeine Dose over 3 or 9 mg/kg in Young Female Team-Sports Athletes

“…In our study, we decided on a minimum washout duration of 72 h following previous studies in female team sports [24,25,73,74]. This interval was selected also to ensure the necessary recovery time between trial sessions in CAF experimental protocol, which is in alignment with previous studies including repeated sprint bouts for female team-sport athletes such as the RSA test [25] and the 5 m shuttle test [75].…”

The effect of last meal “Suhoor” timing on diurnal variations in cognitive performance during Ramadan fasting among female athletes

“…Although recent studies concerning RIF have revealed improvements in specific cognitive functions tied to resilience, cognitive flexibility, and sustained speed of reaction, impairments in visuospatial memory and attention have also been indicated ( 19 ). The variations in the methods, durations of intermittent fasting, samples (age, sex, physical level), sleep quality, last meal timing, lifestyles, local culinary traditions, diets, nutritional status and customs could all be factors leading to the diversity of these findings ( 10 , 20 ).…”