Efeitos da suplementação com guaraná (Paullinia cupana) sobre a aptidão anaeróbia: um ensaio clínico randomizado, cruzado, duplo cego e placebo controlado

Abstract

Introduction: Assessing anaerobic fitness is essential for training monitoring and prescription in sports. Considering the measures available, the 30-second continuous jump test (30CJ) has been shown to be representative, effective, and particularly applicable in team sports. Among the ergogenic aids that can enhance anaerobic performance, caffeine stands out, and can be found in various foods, including guarana (Paullinia cupana). However, despite the high caffeine content in guarana, the potential effects arising from its interaction with other bioactive compounds in the seed on anaerobic fitness are unknown. Objective: To evaluate the effects of guarana (Paullinia cupana) supplementation on anaerobic fitness using the 30CJ protocol. Materials and Methods: To test the effects of guarana intake on anaerobic fitness, a randomized, cross-over, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted. Eighteen healthy, physically active men participated (21.8 ± 2.5 years; 68.7 ± 8.9 kg; 174.5 ± 6.8 cm). The caffeine doses in the caffeine and guarana capsules were identical (5 mg/kg), and the same number of placebo capsules were provided. Supplementation was administered 60 minutes before the 30CJ. The variables considered included maximum jump height (Hmax), mean jump height during the 30CJ (Hmean), peak power output (PPO), last power output (LPO), fatigue index (FI), and number of jumps (N°Jumps). Results: Guarana supplementation led to significant increases in Hmax (4.5%; ES = 0.27; 95% CI [0.1086-3.491]; p = 0.0349) and Hmean (4.4%; ES = 0.27; 95% CI [0.1864-2.706]; p = 0.0215) compared to placebo, and PPO compared with test-retest (4.6%; ES = 28; 95% CI [-299.5 -5.248]; p = 0.0410) and placebo (4%, ES = 0.26; 95% CI [17.4 - 254.3]; p = 0.0220). Conclusion: Guarana supplementation (5 mg/kg caffeine) resulted in improvements in anaerobic fitness parameters evaluated by the 30CJ test.