The DOI matches its Crossref record; 64 of the 64 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Wake up and smell the coffee: caffeine supplementation and exercise performance—an umbrella review of 21 published meta-analyses
Open accessAbstract
Objective: To systematically review, summarise and appraise findings of published meta-analyses that examined the effects of caffeine on exercise performance. Design: Umbrella review. Data sources: Twelve databases. Eligibility criteria for selecting studies: Meta-analyses that examined the effects of caffeine ingestion on exercise performance. Results: Eleven reviews (with a total of 21 meta-analyses) were included, all being of moderate or high methodological quality (assessed using the Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews 2 checklist). In the meta-analyses, caffeine was ergogenic for aerobic endurance, muscle strength, muscle endurance, power, jumping performance and exercise speed. However, not all analyses provided a definite direction for the effect of caffeine when considering the 95% prediction interval. Using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation criteria the quality of evidence was generally categorised as moderate (with some low to very low quality of evidence). Most individual studies included in the published meta-analyses were conducted among young men. Summary/conclusion: Synthesis of the currently available meta-analyses suggest that caffeine ingestion improves exercise performance in a broad range of exercise tasks. Ergogenic effects of caffeine on muscle endurance, muscle strength, anaerobic power and aerobic endurance were substantiated by moderate quality of evidence coming from moderate-to-high quality systematic reviews. For other outcomes, we found moderate quality reviews that presented evidence of very low or low quality. It seems that the magnitude of the effect of caffeine is generally greater for aerobic as compared with anaerobic exercise. More primary studies should be conducted among women, middle-aged and older adults to improve the generalisability of these findings.
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“Caffeine (CAF), recognized as 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine, is a supplement widely used by physically active individuals and trained athletes [ 1 ] due to its ergogenic impact on both endurance [ 2 ] and strength exercises [ 3 - 5 ].”
From Impact of Caffeine Intake Strategies on Heart Rate Variability during Post-Exercise Recovery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (2024) · cites this paper as [4]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
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“Substantial evidence also indicates that caffeine produces consistent ergogenic effects across a range of athletic tasks, thereby improving physical capacity and exercise performance [4,5,6].”
From Pre-Exercise Caffeine as a Modulator of Exercise-Induced Acute Cardiometabolic Responses: A Narrative Review (2026) · cites this paper as [4]
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“Recent reviews further suggest that both lower doses (≤3 mg/kg) and higher doses (6–9 mg/kg) can improve exercise performance, although the magnitude of benefit may differ [4,83].”
From Pre-Exercise Caffeine as a Modulator of Exercise-Induced Acute Cardiometabolic Responses: A Narrative Review (2026) · cites this paper as [4]
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In the citing paper
“Previous studies [4,5,78] suggest that 3–6 mg·kg−1 is the most commonly used dose range for improving aerobic, high-intensity, and sport-specific performance, yet doses of approximately 2–3 mg·kg−1 may already produce observable ergogenic effects.”
From Pre-Exercise Caffeine as a Modulator of Exercise-Induced Acute Cardiometabolic Responses: A Narrative Review (2026) · cites this paper as [4]
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“Previous studies [4,5,78] suggest that 3–6 mg·kg−1 is the most commonly used dose range for improving aerobic, high-intensity, and sport-specific performance, yet doses of approximately 2–3 mg·kg−1 may already produce observable ergogenic effects.”
From Pre-Exercise Caffeine as a Modulator of Exercise-Induced Acute Cardiometabolic Responses: A Narrative Review (2026) · cites this paper as [4]
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“Nevertheless, research on caffeine and exercise has predominantly focused on its ergogenic properties, particularly its capacity to enhance endurance performance, high-intensity exercise capacity, and sport-specific performance [4,14,15,16,17].”
From Pre-Exercise Caffeine as a Modulator of Exercise-Induced Acute Cardiometabolic Responses: A Narrative Review (2026) · cites this paper as [4]
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“Caffeine is widely consumed as part of a normal diet, and there is clear evidence-for-efficacy regarding its ergogenic properties in a variety of sports [150–152], although the extent of the ergogenic effect is largely dependent on inter-individual genetic variance [153].”
From International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: nutritional considerations for single-stage ultra-marathon training and racing (2019) · cites this paper as [152]
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“Spriet noted that smaller caffeine doses do not substantially alter the overall peripheral physiological response to exercise [4,83], suggesting that the performance benefits of low-dose caffeine may arise primarily from central nervous system effects.”
From Pre-Exercise Caffeine as a Modulator of Exercise-Induced Acute Cardiometabolic Responses: A Narrative Review (2026) · cites this paper as [4]
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Citations
Cites
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Physical activity in older age: perspectives for healthy ageing and frailty
McPhee, J. S., French, D. P., Jackson, D., Nazroo, J., Pendleton, N., & Degens, H. (2016) · Biogerontology · doi:10.1007/s10522-016-9641-0 · Cited by 1,369
IOC Consensus Statement: Dietary Supplements and the High-performance Athlete
Maughan, R. J., Burke, L. M., Dvorak, J., Larson-Meyer, D. E., Peeling, P., Phillips, S. M., Rawson, E. S., Walsh, N. P., Garthe, I., Geyer, H., et al. (2018) · British Journal of Sports Medicine · doi:10.1136/bjsports-2018-099027 · Cited by 1,004
Early‐life determinants of overweight and obesity: a review of systematic reviews
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Caffeine and Anaerobic Performance
Davis, J.-K., & Green, J. M. (2009) · Sports Medicine · doi:10.2165/11317770-000000000-00000 · Cited by 453
Cited by
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Caffeine and Exercise: What Next?
Pickering, C., & Grgić, J. (2019) · Sports Medicine · doi:10.1007/s40279-019-01101-0 · Cited by 195
Self-citationTiller, N. B., Roberts, J. D., Beasley, L., Chapman, S., Pinto, J. M., Smith, L., Wiffin, M., Russell, M., Sparks, S. A., Duckworth, L., et al. (2019) · Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · doi:10.1186/s12970-019-0312-9 · Cited by 164
Barrea, L., Pugliese, G., Frías-Toral, E., Ghoch, M. E., Castellucci, B., Chapela, S. P., Carignano, M. D. L. A., Laudisio, D., Savastano, S., Colao, A., et al. (2021) · Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition · doi:10.1080/10408398.2021.1963207 · Cited by 170
Filip-Stachnik, A., Wilk, M., Krzysztofik, M., & Coso, J. D. (2020) · Nutrients · doi:10.3390/nu12041087 · Cited by 122
“This classification combines the most common doses of caffeine used in previous studies related to the acute effect of caffeine in elite and amateur athletes [24,25].”
BackgroundMielgo-Ayuso, J., Marques-Jiménez, D., Refoyo, I., Del Coso, J., León-Guereño, P., & Calleja-González, J. (2019) · Nutrients · doi:10.3390/nu11102313 · Cited by 119
“In this respect, while there is a position and recommendations about the use of caffeine supplements in athletes [18,19], there is not enough comparative information on the effects of caffeine on athletic performance between men and women athletes [20].”
Background
Metadata
- Authors
- Grgic, J., Grgic, I., Pickering, C., Schoenfeld, B. J., Bishop, D. J., & Pedisic, Z.
- Affiliations
- University of Lancashire (GB)
- Lehman College (US)
- Edith Cowan University (AU)
- Venue
- British Journal of Sports Medicine
- Publisher
- BMJ
- Published
- 2019-03-29
- Volume
- 54
- Issue
- 11
- Pages
- 681-688
- ISSN
- 0306-3674 (ISSN-L)
- 1473-0480
- OpenAlex
- W2930495386
- Cited by
- 375
- References
- 64
- Citations by year
- 2026: 62 · 2025: 39 · 2024: 55 · 2023: 35 · 2022: 54 · 2021: 53 · 2020: 49 · 2019: 27
- FWCI
- 5.88
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- British Journal of Sports Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- CLOK (University of Central Lancashire) (acceptedVersion)
- Victoria University Research Repository (Victoria University) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- Australasian Journal of Paramedicine (submittedVersion)
- The HKU Scholars Hub (University of Hong Kong) (submittedVersion)
- HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology (medical) › Coffee research and impacts
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Orthopedics and Sports Medicine › Sports Performance and Training
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Muscle metabolism and nutrition
- Keywords
- caffeine supplementation, exercise performance, ergogenic aids, cardiorespiratory fitness, muscle strength, muscular endurance, anaerobic power, jump performance, exercise speed, prediction intervals, quality of evidence
- MeSH terms
- Caffeine, Coffee, Female, Humans, Male, Sex Factors, Exercise, Muscle, Skeletal, Dietary Supplements, Muscle Strength, Athletic Performance, Performance-Enhancing Substances
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