Research summary · Nutrition and supplements
Caffeinated gum and a single 50-metre freestyle swim
Ten male swimmers completed separate 50-metre freestyle trials after caffeinated or placebo gum. The study tested 300 mg of caffeine ten minutes before swimming and measured shoulder strength and blood lactate.
- Publication year
- 2026
- First published online
- Publication type
- Randomized double-blind placebo-controlled crossover trial
- Journal
- BMC Nutrition
- Population / context
- Adult male sprint swimming
What the publication reports
Mean swim time was about 1.8% faster with caffeine, approximately 28.18 versus 28.70 seconds. Shoulder-flexion strength and lactate concentrations did not show clear supplementation effects.
Limits and interpretation
The trial was small, male-only and retrospectively registered. One short swim cannot establish benefits across distances, populations or repeated competitions. The tested dose is not a general recommendation, and the study does not establish long-term safety.
Read the source
Consult the original record for the full author list, methods, references, funding and competing-interest disclosures.
The effects of caffeinated chewing gum on sprint swimming performance and upper-body strength: a randomized crossover study
Original publication / indexed recordPMID: 42177563DOI: 10.1186/s40795-026-01367-4Full text at the sourceReader discussion
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