Naoko Terasawa

Effect of coffee ingestion on physiological responses and ratings of perceived exertion during submaximal endurance exercise

This study examined the effect of coffee ingestion on physiological responses and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) during submaximal endurance exercises by 10 healthy young adults. Participants performed a submaximal endurance cycling exercise corresponding to 60% of maximum oxygen uptake capacity for 60 min. They drank either caffeinated coffee with a caffeine content of 6 mg/kg body-mass of each participant (Caf) or a decaffeinated coffee (Dec) 60 min. before starting exercise. Participants participated in the blind design experiment under both conditions at a one-week interval. Oxygen uptake, respiratory exchange ratio, heart rate, RPE, and plasma lactate concentration were measured during the endurance exercise. The RPE under the Caffeinated coffee condition during the last 60 min. of endurance exercise was significantly lower than that in the Decaffeinated coffee condition. However, no significant differences in any physiological response were observed between conditions. Thus, caffeine ingestion 60 min. before starting exercise had an insignificant effect on the physiological responses, except for RPE during submaximal endurance exercises for 60 min. Caffeine ingestion before endurance exercise of relatively low intensity may have a beneficial effect on psychological responses.

Effect of Conjugated Linoleic Acid Intake on Endurance Exercise Performance and Anti-fatigue in Student Athletes

Conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) intake has been reported to reduce body fat mass or increase lean body mass and to improve exercise outcome by modulating testosterone in humans. These reports have studied mostly overweight subjects; few were athletes. Therefore, in this study, the effect of CLA intake on endurance performance and anti-fatigue in student athletes was investigated. A double-blind, crossover study was conducted with 10 male student athletes. Each subject was administered with either CLA (net 0.9 g/day) or a placebo for 14 days. They were subjected to an exercise tolerance test (steady loading) using a cycle ergometer on days 0 and 14. Peak VO2 was determined for each subject using a graded loading test. The steady loading test was performed with a pedaling exercise load of 50% peak VO2 for 40 min and then with a load of 70% peak VO2 until exhaustion. Blood sampling and measurement of critical flicker frequency (CFF) were performed before and after exercise. The rate of perceived exertion (RPE) was measured serially during exercise. In the results, amount of body weight variation significantly increased and amount of body fat percentage variation tended to decrease by CLA intake, it might have an effect by increase in muscle mass. In addition, amount of exercise time variation significantly increased, amount of variation of CFF before and after exercise tended to increase, that of RPE during exercise tended to decrease, and that of creatine phosphokinase before and after exercise tended to decrease in the CLA group. These results suggested that CLA intake for 14 days might have an effect on endurance performance and anti-fatigue in student athletes.