Effects of Multi-Ingredient Pre-Workout Supplement and Caffeine on Bench Press Performance: A Single-Blind Cross-Over Study

The problem addressed in this study is the appropriateness of using different pre-training supplementation strategies and their ability to improve training performance and psychological measures. The aim of the study is the evaluation of the effectiveness of a multi-ingredient pre-workout supplement (MIPS) containing beta-alanine, L-citrulline malate, arginine alpha-ketoglutarate, L-taurine, L-tyrosine and caffeine compared to an exact dosage of anhydrous caffeine in bench press strength endurance, feeling scale (FS), felt arousal scale (FAS) and session rating of perceived exertion (sRPE). A group of fifteen resistance-trained males, weighing 83.92 ± 8.95 kg and having an average of 5.6 ± 3.38 years of training experience, tested their bench press 10 repetition maximum (79.01 ± 12.13). In a cross-over manner, they participated in two sessions where they were blinded to the order of supplementation they were given: either a MIPS including caffeine or caffeine alone. They completed the bench press strength endurance test with pre- and post-training psychological assessments containing FS, FAS and sRPE. Bench press repetition volume was greater after anhydrous caffeine than MIPS supplementation with no difference in psychological measures. These results indicate that MIPS supplementation is less ergogenic and cost effective than caffeine alone.     

Acute Effect of Caffeine-Based Multi-Ingredient Supplement on Reactive Agility and Jump Height in Recreational Handball Players

Pre-exercise caffeine and guarana-based multi-ingredient supplement (MS) consumption may be more effective for physical performance improvement than caffeine and guarana alone due to the synergistic effect of biologically active ingredients in multi-ingredient supplements. This study aimed to examine the acute effect of MS on the reactive agility and jump performance in recreational handball male players. A randomized, double-blind, crossover study involved twenty-four male handball players (body mass 74.6 ± 8.8 kg; body height 179 ± 7 cm; age 23.8 ± 1.4 years). Participants were tested under three conditions: placebo, caffeine + guarana (CAF + GUA), or MS ingestion 45 min before exercise tests. Participants performed a reactive agility test (Y-shaped test) and countermovement jump (CMJ). None of the supplements improved countermovement jump height (p = 0.06). The time needed to complete the agility test was significantly (p = 0.02) shorter in the MS condition than in the placebo. The differences in agility between PL vs. CAF + GUA and MS vs. CAF + GUA conditions were not statistically significant (p = 0.88 and p = 0.07, respectively). The results of this study indicate that the caffeine-based multi-ingredient performance was effective in improvement in reactive agility but not in jump height in recreational handball male players. A similar effect was not observed with CAF + GUA ingestion alone.     

The Combined Effects of Exercise,Diet, and a Multi-Ingredient Dietary Supplement on Body Composition and Adipokine Changes in Overweight Adults

Background: Very few weight and fat loss supplements undergo finished-product research to examine efficacy. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of an 8-week diet and exercise program on body composition, hip and waist girth, and adipokines and evaluate whether a dietary supplement containing raspberry ketone, capsaicin, caffeine, garlic, and Citrus aurantium enhanced outcomes.

Methods: Overweight men and women completed this randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study. Participants consumed 4 capsules/d of supplement (EXP; n = 18) or placebo (PLA; n = 18). Participants underwent 8 weeks of daily supplementation, calorie restriction (500 kcal < RMR [resting metabolic rate] × 1.2), and supervised progressive exercise training 3 times a week. Body composition, girth, and adipokines were assessed at baseline and postintervention (T1 and T2).

Results: Significant decreases in weight (?2.6 ± 0.57 kg, p < 0.001), fat mass (?1.8 ± 0.20 kg; p < 0.001), and percentage body fat (?3.7% ± 0.29%, p < 0.001) and a significant increase in lean body mass (LBM; 1.5 ± 0.26 kg; p < 0.001) were seen from T1 to T2 in both groups. For men, only those in the EXP group increased LBM from T1 to T2 (1.3 ± 0.38 kg; p < 0.05). Hip girth was also reduced, with the women in the EXP group (?10.7 ± 2.15 cm, p < 0.001) having a greater reduction. There was a time by group interaction, with significant decreases in leptin (p < 0.001) and significant increases in adiponectin (p < 0.05) in the EXP group.

Conclusions: Significant improvements in adipokines and leptin support the utility of exercise, diet, and fat loss for impacting inflammatory biomarkers. The improvement in adiponectin with EXP may suggest a unique health mechanism.     

Real World Practice Study of the Effect of a Specific Oral Nutritional Supplement for Diabetes Mellitus on the Morphofunctional Assessment and Protein Energy Requirements

Introduction: The prevalence of malnutrition in patients with diabetes mellitus is high. In these patients, monitoring nutritional intervention is complex. Aims: To evaluate the evolution in the nutritional status in patients with diabetes/prediabetes and malnutrition with a diabetes-specific enteral formula. Methods: Real-life study of one arm in 60 patients with diabetes and prediabetes, performing a dietary adaptation with diabetes-specific oral nutritional supplementation. A morphofunctional assessment was performed, consisting of intake assessment, anthropometry, body composition (bioimpedance and muscle ultrasound), handgrip strength and biochemical markers. The diagnosis of malnutrition was made using the criteria of the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM). The variables were measured at baseline and 3 months after starting the intervention. Results: The mean age was 67.13 (14.9) years. In total, 30 (50%) of the patients were women. Of the total, 60% of the patients had diabetes mellitus and 40% of the patients had prediabetes. The initial body mass index was 24.65 (5.35) kg/m². It was observed that 80% of the patients had malnutrition, whereas after the intervention, the prevalence was 51.7% (p < 0.01). At the beginning of the study, 20% of the patients suffered from sarcopenia and after the intervention it was 16.7% (p = 0.19). Conclusions: Medical Nutrition Therapy with an adapted oral diet associated with diabetes-specific oral nutritional supplementation reduces malnutrition in patients at nutritional risk and disturbances of carbohydrate metabolism.     

The Effect of a Ketogenic Low-Carbohydrate,High-Fat Diet on Aerobic Capacity and Exercise Performance in Endurance Athletes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

A low-carbohydrate, high-fat (LCHF) diet has been proposed to enhance the fat utilization of muscle and the aerobic capacity of endurance athletes, thereby improving their exercise performance. However, it remains uncertain how the macronutrient intake shift from carbohydrate to fat affects endurance exercise training and performance. This study performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to explore the effects of a ketogenic low-carbohydrate, high-fat (K-LCHF) diet on aerobic capacity and exercise performance among endurance athletes. Searches were carried out in five electronic databases, and we followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The search included studies using an LCHF diet as an intervention protocol and compared data on factors such as maximum oxygen uptake (VO₂max) and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) from the graded exercise test. In this case, 10 studies met the criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. We did not find a significant effect of K-LCHF diet interventions on VO₂max, time to exhaustion, HRmax or RPE. However, a significant overall effect in the substrate oxidation response to respiratory exchange rate was observed. The meta-analysis showed that K-LCHF diets did not affect aerobic capacity and exercise performance. Therefore, high-quality interventions of a K-LCHF diet are needed to illustrate its effect on various endurance training programs.     

Effect of a Four-Week Vegan Diet on Performance,Training Efficiency and Blood Biochemical Indices in CrossFit-Trained Participants

This interventional study examined the effect of a four-week vegan diet (Veg_D) during a four-week high-intensity functional training (HIFT) on performance, training results and blood biochemical indices in female (n = 12) and male (n = 8) moderate-trained CrossFit participants. The whole study group performed the maximum number of repetitions with a load of 70% one repetition-maximum (1RM) and a modified Fight Gone Bad (FGB_Mod) test before and after a dietary intervention (the group was divided to follow a Veg_D or a traditional mixed diet (Mix_D)) in a randomised and parallel design. Pre-exercise resting blood samples were also analysed. There was a significant improvement in the number of repetitions performed at a load corresponding to 70% of 1RM in the classic squat in the Mix_D group (p < 0.001), and in the classic deadlift in the Veg_D group (p = 0.014). Furthermore, there was a significant improvement in the results of the FGB_Mod performance test after a Mix_D. Moreover, an improvement in some exercises in the modified FGB_Mod test (Wall Ball after the Veg_D and the Mix_D, and rowing after the Mix_D) was also observed. However, differences between the Mix_D and the Veg_D groups were not clinically relevant. In conclusion, the short-term study conducted here indicated that a Veg_D in HIFT training positively affects strength endurance in the classic deadlift but is unlikely to be more beneficial in improving performance than a Mix_D.     

Effect of Waters Enriched in O2 by Injection or Electrolysis on Performance and the Cardiopulmonary and Acid–Base Response to High Intensity Exercise

Several brands of water enriched with O₂ (O₂-waters) are commercially available and are advertised as wellness and fitness waters with claims of physiological and psychological benefits, including improvement in exercise performance. However, these claims are based, at best, on anecdotal evidence or on a limited number of unreliable studies. The purpose of this double-blind randomized study was to compare the effect of two O₂-waters (~110 mg O₂·L⁻¹) and a placebo (10 mg O₂·L⁻¹, i.e., close to the value at sea level, 9–12 mg O₂·L⁻¹) on the cardiopulmonary responses and on performance during high-intensity exercise. One of the two O₂-waters and the placebo were prepared by injection of O₂. The other O₂-water was enriched by an electrolytic process. Twenty male subjects were randomly allocated to drink one of the three waters in a crossover study (2 L·day⁻¹ × 2 days and 15 mL·kg⁻¹ 90 min before exercise). During each exercise trial, the subjects exercised at 95.9 ± 4.7% of maximal workload to volitional fatigue. Exercise time to exhaustion and the cardiopulmonary responses, arterial lactate concentration and pH were measured. Oxidative damage to proteins, lipids and DNA in blood was assessed at rest before exercise. Time to exhaustion (one-way ANOVA) and the responses to exercise (two-way ANOVA [Time; Waters] with repeated measurements) were not significantly different among the three waters. There was only a trend (p = 0.060) for a reduction in the time constant of the rapid component of VO₂ kinetics with the water enriched in O₂ by electrolysis. No difference in oxidative damage in blood was observed between the three waters. These results suggest that O₂-water does not speed up cardiopulmonary response to exercise, does not increase performance and does not trigger oxidative stress measured at rest.     

The Effect of a Computerized Prescribing and Calculating System on Hypo‐ and Hyperglycemias and on Prescribing Time Efficiency in Neonatal Intensive Care Patients

Background: Prescribing glucose requires complex calculations because glucose is present in parenteral and enteral nutrition and drug vehicles, making it error prone and contributing to the burden of prescribing errors. Objective: Evaluation of the impact of a computerized physician order entry (CPOE) system with clinical decision support (CDS) for glucose control in neonatal intensive care patients (NICU) focusing on hypo‐ and hyperglycemic episodes and prescribing time efficiency. Methods: An interrupted time‐series design to examine the effect of CPOE on hypo‐ and hyperglycemias and a crossover simulation study to examine the influence of CPOE on prescribing time efficiency. NICU patients at risk for glucose imbalance hospitalized at the University Medical Center Utrecht during 2001–2007 were selected. The risks of hypo‐ and hyperglycemias were expressed as incidences per 100 patient days in consecutive 3‐month intervals during 3 years before and after CPOE implementation. To assess prescribing time efficiency, time needed to calculate glucose intake with and without CPOE was measured. Results: No significant difference was found between pre‐ and post‐CPOE mean incidences of hypo‐ and hyperglycemias per 100 hospital days of neonates at risk in every 3‐month period (hypoglycemias, 4.0 [95% confidence interval, 3.2–4.8] pre‐CPOE and 3.1 [2.7–3.5] post‐CPOE, P = .88; hyperglycemias, 6.0 [4.3–7.7] pre‐CPOE and 5.0 [3.7–6.3] post‐CPOE, P = .75). CPOE led to a significant time reduction of 16% (1.3 [0.3–2.3] minutes) for simple and 60% (8.6 [5.1–12.1] minutes) for complex calculations. Conclusions: CPOE including a special CDS tool preserved accuracy for calculation and control of glucose intake and increased prescribing time efficiency.     

The Effect of Patient Navigation on Time to Diagnosis,Anxiety, and Satisfaction in Urban Minority Women with Abnormal Mammograms: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Delay in follow-up after an abnormal mammogram is associated with advanced disease stage, poorer survival, and increased anxiety. Despite the implementation of many patient navigator programs across the country, there are few published, peer-reviewed studies documenting its effectiveness. We tested the effectiveness of a patient navigator in improving timeliness to diagnosis, decreasing anxiety, and increasing satisfaction in urban minority women after an abnormal mammogram. Women with suspicious mammograms were randomly assigned to usual care (N = 50) or usual care plus intervention with a patient navigator (N = 55). There were no demographic differences between the two groups. Women in the intervention group had shorter times to diagnostic resolution (mean 25.0 vs. 42.7 days; p = .001), with 22% of women in the control group without a final diagnosis at 60 days vs. 6% in the intervention group. The intervention group also had lower mean anxiety scores (decrease of 8.0 in intervention vs. increase of 5.8 in control; p < .001), and higher mean satisfaction scores (4.3 vs. 2.9; p < .001). Patient navigation is an effective strategy to improve timely diagnostic resolution, significantly decrease anxiety, and increase patient satisfaction among urban minority women with abnormal mammograms.