Effects of Rhodiola rosea and caffeine, alone and in combination, on Wingate performance and physiological stress responses in soccer players
4 affiliations
- 1Provincial Directorate of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Youth and Sports , ,
- 2Ministry of National Education , ,
- 3Department of Medical Biology, Kastamonu University , ,
- 4Hasan Doğan Faculty of Sport Sciences, Karabuk University , ,
Abstract
Background: Caffeine is a well-established ergogenic aid that enhances physical performance and modulates central nervous system activity. Rhodiola rosea (RR) has gained attention for its potential anti-fatigue and stress-regulating effects; however, evidence on its combined use with caffeine remains limited.
Objective: This study aimed to investigate the acute effects of caffeine, RR, and their combination on anaerobic performance and salivary stress biomarkers in trained male soccer players.
Methods: Ten healthy male soccer players (age: 20.20 ± 1.54 years) participated in a randomized, crossover, placebo-controlled design. Participants completed four conditions in a randomized order: placebo (P), caffeine (C, 3 mg·kg-1), RR (3 mg·kg-1), and combined caffeine + RR (CRR, 3 mg·kg-1 each). Sixty minutes after supplementation, participants performed the Wingate Anaerobic Test. Salivary cortisol, α-amylase, and immunoglobulin A (IgA) were analyzed using ELISA. Data were assessed using repeated-measures ANOVA with post hoc tests.
Results: Significant differences were observed across experimental conditions. The CRR condition showed higher maximum power output compared with the placebo condition (p<0.05), whereas average power output was higher in the CRR condition than in the RR condition (p<0.05). Cortisol levels differed significantly between the CRR and placebo conditions (p<0.05). α-Amylase levels were significantly lower in the caffeine condition than in the placebo condition (p<0.05). IgA levels differed significantly between the RR and placebo conditions (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Acute caffeine and Rhodiola rosea supplementation, alone or in combination, was associated with differences in anaerobic performance and salivary biomarkers across experimental conditions. Given the small sample size and acute supplementation design, these findings should be interpreted cautiously. Further research with larger samples and appropriate interaction analyses is warranted to clarify the independent and combined effects of caffeine and Rhodiola rosea.
Related
- Screening a thermotolerant Komagataella phaffii strain with methanol cross-tolerance and the associated physiological and transcriptional responses.
- Integrated Physiological and Transcriptomic Analyses Reveal Secondary Metabolic Responses of Prunella vulgaris Seedlings to Sodium Nitroprusside Treatment
- Case Report: Integrated physiological and performance profiling of an elite athlete with differences of sex development
- Effect of Rhodiola rosea L. Extract on Alzheimer's Disease-like Symptoms in Caenorhabditis elegans.
- A Simplified and Solvent-Reduced HPLC-UV/Vis Method for the Simultaneous Determination of Major Marker Compounds in Rhodiola rosea L.
BibTeX
@article{yelken2026effects,
title = {{Effects of Rhodiola rosea and caffeine, alone and in combination, on Wingate performance and physiological stress responses in soccer players}},
author = {Mehmet Emin Yelken and Sezgin Hepsert and Hakan Küçüksayan and Engin Vural and Sedat Gülten and Mehmet Akif Bildirici and Neslihan Akçay},
journal = {Frontiers in physiology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fphys.2026.1964904},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13724577},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Effects of Rhodiola rosea and caffeine, alone and in combination, on Wingate performance and physiological stress responses in soccer players
AU - Mehmet Emin Yelken
AU - Sezgin Hepsert
AU - Hakan Küçüksayan
AU - Engin Vural
AU - Sedat Gülten
AU - Mehmet Akif Bildirici
AU - Neslihan Akçay
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/19
JO - Frontiers in physiology
DO - 10.3389/fphys.2026.1964904
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13724577
AB - Background: Caffeine is a well-established ergogenic aid that enhances physical performance and modulates central nervous system activity. Rhodiola rosea (RR) has gained attention for its potential anti-fatigue and stress-regulating effects; however, evidence on its combined use with caffeine remains limited. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the acute effects of caffeine, RR, and their combination on anaerobic performance and salivary stress biomarkers in trained male soccer players. Methods: Ten healthy male soccer players (age: 20.20 ± 1.54 years) participated in a randomized, crossover, placebo-controlled design. Participants completed four conditions in a randomized order: placebo (P), caffeine (C, 3 mg·kg-1), RR (3 mg·kg-1), and combined caffeine + RR (CRR, 3 mg·kg-1 each). Sixty minutes after supplementation, participants performed the Wingate Anaerobic Test. Salivary cortisol, α-amylase, and immunoglobulin A (IgA) were analyzed using ELISA. Data were assessed using repeated-measures ANOVA with post hoc tests. Results: Significant differences were observed across experimental conditions. The CRR condition showed higher maximum power output compared with the placebo condition (p<0.05), whereas average power output was higher in the CRR condition than in the RR condition (p<0.05). Cortisol levels differed significantly between the CRR and placebo conditions (p<0.05). α-Amylase levels were significantly lower in the caffeine condition than in the placebo condition (p<0.05). IgA levels differed significantly between the RR and placebo conditions (p<0.05). Conclusion: Acute caffeine and Rhodiola rosea supplementation, alone or in combination, was associated with differences in anaerobic performance and salivary biomarkers across experimental conditions. Given the small sample size and acute supplementation design, these findings should be interpreted cautiously. Further research with larger samples and appropriate interaction analyses is warranted to clarify the independent and combined effects of caffeine and Rhodiola rosea.
SN - 1664-042X
ER -