Effects Of A Caffeine-based Energy Drink With Exercise On Serum Free Fatty Acids And Glycerol Concentration In Physically Active Adults

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise

Abstract

PURPOSE: The aim of this investigation was to evaluate how a caffeine-based energy drink (CAF) influences circulating free fatty acids (FFA) and glycerol (GLY) during cycling exercise.

METHODS: Fifteen healthy and physically active participants (11 males, 4 females; age 31 ± 7 yrs; height 173.9 ± 8.9 cm; body mass 80.6 ± 9.4 kg) participated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial. Each participant completed two visits in which they ingested either CAF or placebo (PLA) 30 min before exercise. Each visit consisted of 45 minutes of cycling at 60% VO2Peak, followed immediately by a 15-minute time trial (TT) on a cycle ergometer, where maximum distance was covered in 15 minutes. Blood samples were drawn to assess serum FFA and GLY at baseline (0 min), after the 45-minute exercise bout (75 min), immediately post-TT (90 min), and 60 minutes post-TT (150-min).

RESULTS: A significant main effect of time was observed for both GLY (p< 0.001) and FFA (p< 0.001). For GLY, no group effect was found (p=0.362), but a significant group x time interaction was detected (p=0.043). Post hoc analysis showed that CAF resulted in greater increases from baseline to immediately post-TT (p=0.0206, 95% CI -0.385 to -0.029) and from baseline to 60 min post-TT (p=0.021, 95% CI -0.251 to -0.024). For FFA, there was no significant group effect (p=0.151), though a group x time interaction was present (p=0.047). Post hoc testing indicated significantly greater increases with CAF from baseline to immediately post-TT (p=0.033, 95% CI -24.653 to -1.165), and from baseline to 60 min post-TT (p=0.018, 95% CI -45.512 to -4.622).

CONCLUSIONS: CAF supplementation increases circulating markers of lipolysis, as demonstrated by significant group x time interactions for both GLY and FFA. Compared to PLA, CAF produced greater increases in GLY and FFA from baseline to immediately post-TT and 60 min post-TT. This suggests that the caffeine-based energy drink enhances lipolytic responses, thus highlighting caffeine’s potential role in modulating fat metabolism, which may have implications for substrate utilization during endurance exercise and recovery.

Research Highlights

  • The Problem: The investigation evaluated how a caffeine-based energy drink influences circulating free fatty acids and glycerol during cycling exercise.

  • The Method: Fifteen healthy participants (11 males, 4 females; age 31 ± 7 yrs; height 173.9 ± 8.9 cm; body mass 80.6 ± 9.4 kg) completed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial consisting of 45 minutes of cycling at 60% VO2Peak followed by a 15-minute time trial on a cycle ergometer, with blood drawn at 0, 75, 90, and 150 minutes.

  • Quantitative Finding: Glycerol showed a significant main effect of time (p

  • Finding: Caffeine supplementation increased circulating markers of lipolysis, demonstrating enhanced fat metabolism during endurance exercise and recovery.

DOI

10.1249/01.mss.0001259308.28911.4b

Publication Date

10-2026

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