PURPOSE: To examine the acute effect of caffeine on exercise capacity, exercise-related fatigue and functional performance in prostate cancer survivors.
METHODS: In this randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded crossover study, 30 prostate cancer survivors (age 70.3±7.7 yr, body mass 80.5±13.0 kg, mean±SD) consumed 6.04±0.16 mg·kg anhydrous caffeine or a placebo one hour prior to completing a battery of exercise capacity and functional performance tests. Testing sessions were separated by three to four weeks. Immediate fatigue and perceived exertion were measured directly pre- and post-exercise at both testing sessions.
RESULTS: Caffeine increased exercise capacity by 7.93 sec (+3.0%; p=0.010); however, post-exercise fatigue and perception of exertion were comparable to the placebo session (p=0.632 and p=0.902, respectively). Increases in isometric grip strength trended toward significance in both dominant (+2.9%; p=0.053) and non-dominant (+2.1%; p=0.061) hands in the caffeine trial compared to placebo. Caffeine ingestion did not result in improvements in performance for any of the remaining functional measures, including the timed up-and-go test, repeated chair stands, 6-m fast walk and 6-m backwards tandem walk. Systolic blood pressure and heart rate were significantly increased (p=0.006 and p=0.040, respectively) on completion of the testing battery when compared to placebo.
CONCLUSION: Consumption of caffeine, one hour prior to exercise, induced improvements in exercise capacity and muscular strength in prostate cancer survivors. However, there was no change in exercise-related fatigue when compared to placebo, despite a reduction in timed performance of the 400-m walk. Caffeine appears to enhance exercise tolerance through improved performance with no subsequent increase in fatigue or perception of exertion and may be an appropriate strategy to promote exercise participation in prostate cancer survivors.
Written by:
Cornish RS, Bolam KA, Skinner TL. Are you the author?
School of Human Movement Studies, The University of Queensland, Brisbane QLD, Australia.
Reference: Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2014 Jun 27. Epub ahead of print.
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 24977700
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