The Acute Effects of Caffeine Ingestion on Balance, Attention, and Reaction Time in Young Male Athletes: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Experimental Study

The aim of this study is to investigate the acute effects of caffeine ingestion on reaction time, selective attention, and postural balance in young male athletes. Using a random-ized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design, 30 participants received 6 mg/kg of caffeine or a placebo 60 minutes before testing. Assessments included the d2 Test of Attention, BlazePod™ reaction system, and the Flamingo Balance Test. Compared to the placebo, caffeine significantly increased the total number of items processed and concentration performance, while reducing omission errors (p < 0.05). Furthermore, caffeine significantly decreased reaction times (p < 0.05). However, no significant interaction was observed re-garding postural balance performance (p = 0.38). Acute caffeine supplementation signifi-cantly improves reaction speed and selective attention by optimizing the speed-accuracy trade-off, without compromising postural stability. These findings suggest that caffeine is a reliable ergogenic aid for sports requiring high cognitive focus and rapid deci-sion-making.