Research summary · Nutrition and energy
Carbohydrate mouth rinses did not improve a short cycling time trial
Twelve male amateur cyclists completed maltodextrin, fructose, placebo-rinse and no-rinse conditions. Each visit included fifteen minutes of submaximal cycling followed by a fifteen-minute trial in which riders aimed to produce as much work as possible.
- Publication year
- 2026
- First published online
- Publication type
- Randomized double-blind placebo-controlled four-condition crossover trial
- Journal
- Research in Sports Medicine
- Population / context
- Cycling · Male amateur riders
What the publication reports
Mean trial power was similar across the four conditions, ranging from approximately 243 to 247 watts, with no significant overall difference (P=0.989). Neither carbohydrate type nor rinsing alone produced a detectable advantage under this short laboratory protocol. Including both placebo-rinse and no-rinse conditions helped separate a possible carbohydrate effect from the act of rinsing.
Limits and interpretation
The small male-only sample leaves uncertainty around small effects. A null finding in a fifteen-minute trial does not rule out benefits during other durations, nutritional states or exercise modes. Mouth rinsing is not carbohydrate ingestion and does not replace fueling during prolonged exercise.
Read the source
Consult the original record for the full author list, methods, references, funding and competing-interest disclosures.
Carbohydrate mouth rinse and performance in cyclists: effects of different types of carbohydrates and the placebo effect induced by mouth rinse
Original publication / indexed recordPMID: 42781727DOI: 10.1080/15438627.2026.2736778Full text at the sourceReader discussion
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