The Effect of Caffeine in Elderly Citizen Following Eight Hour Abstinence From Caffeine Containing Drinks & Foods

Healthy Clinical Trial

Official title: The Effect of Caffeine as Endurance Enhancing Drug in the Elderly Following Eight Hour Abstinence From Caffeine Containing Drinks and Foods

Status Completed

Clinical Trial Summary

The study investigated the effect of caffeine on physical performance in healthy citizens aged over 70 years following eight hours of abstinence from caffeine containing drinks and foods. The main hypothesis was that 6 mg/kg caffeine would improve cycling endurance at 65% of expected maximal heart rate.

Clinical Trial Description

It is well documented that caffeine ingestion increases the endurance of young people exercising at 60%-85% of their maximal oxygen uptake (13;15;47). It also seems to improve endurance as measured by repeated sub-maximal isometric contraction (42), and decreases the rate of perceived exertion during exercise (6;9;46). Typically, doses of approximately 6 mg/kg caffeine were used in these studies.

With a growing number of elderly with a physical active lifestyle and many elderly participating in rehabilitation programs the endurance enhancing effect of caffeine is of increasing interest in this age group. We therefore conducted a study of healthy 75 year old citizens to investigate whether 6 mg/kg caffeine improved physical performance and reduced the perceived effort during work in healthy citizens aged ≥ 70 years. The main hypothesis was that caffeine would improve cycling endurance at 65% of expected maximal heart rate. The study showed that compared to placebo caffeine increased endurance by 25 % (p<0.0001) and isometric sub-maximal strength with 54 % (p<0.0001), reduced perceived exertion after 5 minutes of biking by 11 % (p=0.002), but in 21 of 30 participants there was reduced postural stability (with eyes open). In the above described study participants abstained from caffeine containing drinks and foods for 48 hours prior to each test. Half of the participants reported withdrawal symptoms. Such a long caffeine abstinence period would infer with daily life for many people. We therefore invited the participants from the above study to a repetition of the above study to test whether similar results would be obtained if participants only abstained from caffeine containing drinks and foods for 8 hours prior to each test. ;

Study Design

Allocation: Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Crossover Assignment, Masking: Double Blind (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor), Primary Purpose: Treatment

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Elderly
• Healthy

• NCT number: NCT01048515
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: Herning Hospital
• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 4
• Start date: February 2005