The Effect of Acute Beetroot Juice and Caffeine Supplementation on Specific Judo Performance During a Simulated Competition Day in Judo Athletes.
7 affiliations
- 1Sarıkamış Anatolian Imam Hatip High School, Ministry of National Education, Sarıkamış, Kars, Turkey.
- 2Department of Movement and Training Sciences, Sport Science Faculty, Duzce University, Duzce, Turkey.
- 3Department of Exercise and Sports Science for Disabled People, Faculty of Health Science, International Science and Technology University, Warsaw, Poland.
- 4Department of Sports Health Sciences, Graduate School of Winter Sports and Sports Sciences, Ataturk University, Erzurum, Turkey.
- 5Department of Reaction Sciences, Faculty of Sports Sciences, Ataturk University, Erzurum, Turkey.
- 6Department of Coaching Education, Faculty of Sports Sciences, Van Yuzuncu Yıl University, Van, Turkey.
- 7Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, Islamic Azad University Central Tehran Branch, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
Beetroot juice (BJ) and caffeine (CAF) are well-established ergogenic aids for exercise performance. However, little is known about their efficacy and interaction within the specific context of a judo competition day. This study investigated the acute effects of BJ, CAF, and their combination (BJCAF) on judo-specific performance across a simulated competition day. Using a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover design, 35 competitive judo athletes (age 23 ± 5 years; body mass 74 ± 13 kg) completed 4 sessions (BJ, CAF, BJCAF, and placebo), each consisting of 5 trials of judo randori and a Special Judo Fitness Test (SJFT), followed by neuromuscular and cognitive assessments. Compared with placebo, CAF enhanced SJFT performance, neuromuscular function, and cognition in trials 1-3 but not in trial 5 (p < 0.05). Conversely, BJ improved these same metrics in trial 5 (p < 0.05). BJCAF enhanced SJFT performance across trials 1-3 and 5, cognitive functions in trials 1, 2, and 4, and neuromuscular performance in all trials (p < 0.05). Importantly, in trial 5, both BJ and BJCAF conditions yielded improved SJFT performance, neuromuscular function, and cognitive outcomes compared to CAF alone (p < 0.05). The results demonstrate that the ergogenic effect of CAF was not maintained throughout the simulated competition day, whereas BJ provided late-stage benefits. Co-ingestion effectively counteracted the later-session decline observed with CAF alone while maintaining its early advantages. This highlights the importance of considering temporal dynamics and metabolic costs when designing nutritional strategies for multi-bout, high-intensity sports tournaments such as judo.
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BibTeX
@article{karabag2026effect,
title = {{The Effect of Acute Beetroot Juice and Caffeine Supplementation on Specific Judo Performance During a Simulated Competition Day in Judo Athletes.}},
author = {Sefer Karabağ and Heidar Sajedi and Onur Güler and Vahdet Alaeddinoğlu and Ergün Çakır and Davar Khodadadi and Selahattin Akpınar},
journal = {European journal of sport science},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1002/ejsc.70278},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42905127},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - The Effect of Acute Beetroot Juice and Caffeine Supplementation on Specific Judo Performance During a Simulated Competition Day in Judo Athletes.
AU - Sefer Karabağ
AU - Heidar Sajedi
AU - Onur Güler
AU - Vahdet Alaeddinoğlu
AU - Ergün Çakır
AU - Davar Khodadadi
AU - Selahattin Akpınar
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/30
JO - European journal of sport science
DO - 10.1002/ejsc.70278
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42905127
AB - Beetroot juice (BJ) and caffeine (CAF) are well-established ergogenic aids for exercise performance. However, little is known about their efficacy and interaction within the specific context of a judo competition day. This study investigated the acute effects of BJ, CAF, and their combination (BJCAF) on judo-specific performance across a simulated competition day. Using a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover design, 35 competitive judo athletes (age 23 ± 5 years; body mass 74 ± 13 kg) completed 4 sessions (BJ, CAF, BJCAF, and placebo), each consisting of 5 trials of judo randori and a Special Judo Fitness Test (SJFT), followed by neuromuscular and cognitive assessments. Compared with placebo, CAF enhanced SJFT performance, neuromuscular function, and cognition in trials 1-3 but not in trial 5 (p < 0.05). Conversely, BJ improved these same metrics in trial 5 (p < 0.05). BJCAF enhanced SJFT performance across trials 1-3 and 5, cognitive functions in trials 1, 2, and 4, and neuromuscular performance in all trials (p < 0.05). Importantly, in trial 5, both BJ and BJCAF conditions yielded improved SJFT performance, neuromuscular function, and cognitive outcomes compared to CAF alone (p < 0.05). The results demonstrate that the ergogenic effect of CAF was not maintained throughout the simulated competition day, whereas BJ provided late-stage benefits. Co-ingestion effectively counteracted the later-session decline observed with CAF alone while maintaining its early advantages. This highlights the importance of considering temporal dynamics and metabolic costs when designing nutritional strategies for multi-bout, high-intensity sports tournaments such as judo.
SN - 1746-1391
SN - 1536-7290
ER -