Acute Capsaicin Supplementation may not Be Effective in Improving the Physical and Cognitive Performance of Taekwondo Athletes and Para Athletes

Purpose. The present study aimed to investigate the acute effect of capsaicin supplementation on Taekwondo performance. Methods. This was a crossover, double-blind, placebo-controlled study that evaluated 13 Taekwondo athletes (24.8 ± 10.6 years; 64.5 ± 10.9 kg; 171 ± 9.16 cm), male (n = 10) and female (n = 3), athletes (n = 8) and para athletes (n = 5). The volunteers performed two experimental supplementation conditions: capsaicin (CAP) (12 mg) or Placebo (PLA). Performance evaluation included the frequency of kick test multiple series (FSKTmult), countermovement jump (CMJ), and Stroop test. The relative perception effort during the tests (RPEtest) and after the sessions (RPEsession), as well as capillary lactate concentration and blood glucose, were also recorded. Results. No significant differences were found between the experimental conditions in the FSKTmult test (CAP: 265.46 ± 21.85; PLA: 262.31 ± 22.96; p = 0.413); CMJ (CAP: 37.25 ± 10.31cm; PLA: 36.97 ± 10.86 cm; p = 0.761), and Stroop Test (Stroop test 1: CAP: 978.73 ± 185.43 ms; PLA: 950.02 ± 174.82 ms; Stroop test 2: CAP: 881.16 ± 212.74 ms; PLA: 813.75 ± 155.04 ms; p = 0.490). No significant differences were also found between the experimental conditions in the results of the RPEtest, RPEsession, lactate concentration, and blood glucose (p > 0.05). Conclusions. Acute capsaicin supplementation may not be effective in improving the physical and cognitive performance of Taekwondo athletes and para athletes.