Department of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC,USA.
Nutrition Research Institute, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Kannapolis, NC,USA.
Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2022 Feb 23;32(4):311-323. doi: 10.1123/ijsnem.2021-0176. Print 2022 Jul 1.
Beta-alanine, caffeine, and nitrate are dietary supplements generally recognized by the sport and exercise science community as evidence-based ergogenic performance aids. Evidence supporting the efficacy of these supplements, however, is greatly skewed due to research being conducted primarily in men. The physiological differences between men and women, most notably in sex hormones and menstrual cycle fluctuations, make generalizing male data to the female athlete inappropriate, and potentially harmful to women. This narrative review outlines the studies conducted in women regarding the efficacy of beta-alanine, caffeine, and nitrate supplementation for performance enhancement. Only nine studies on beta-alanine, 15 on caffeine, and 10 on nitrate in healthy women under the age of 40 years conducted in normoxia conditions were identified as relevant to this research question. Evidence suggests that beta-alanine may lower the rate of perceived exertion and extend training bouts in women, leading to greater functional adaptations. Studies of caffeine in women suggest the physiological responder status and caffeine habituation may contribute to caffeine's efficacy, with a potential plateau in the dose-response relationship of performance enhancement. Nitrate appears to vary in influence based on activity type and primary muscle group examined. However, the results summarized in the limited literature for each of these three supplements provide no consensus on dosage, timing, or efficacy for women. Furthermore, the literature lacks considerations for hormonal status and its role in metabolism. This gap in sex-based knowledge necessitates further research on these ergogenic supplements in women with greater considerations for the effects of hormonal status.
β-丙氨酸、咖啡因和硝酸盐是运动和锻炼科学界普遍认可的具有循证作用的运动表现辅助剂。然而，这些补充剂的疗效证据存在很大的偏差，因为研究主要在男性中进行。男女之间的生理差异，尤其是性激素和月经周期波动的差异，使得将男性数据推广到女性运动员身上是不恰当的，并且可能对女性有害。本综述概述了在女性中进行的关于β-丙氨酸、咖啡因和硝酸盐补充剂对运动表现增强的有效性的研究。只有 9 项关于β-丙氨酸、15 项关于咖啡因和 10 项关于硝酸盐在年龄在 40 岁以下的健康女性在常氧条件下的研究被认为与这个研究问题相关。有证据表明，β-丙氨酸可能降低女性的感知努力程度并延长训练时间，从而导致更大的功能适应。关于咖啡因在女性中的研究表明，生理反应者状态和咖啡因习惯可能有助于咖啡因的疗效，而在增强表现的剂量反应关系中可能存在一个平台。硝酸盐的影响似乎因活动类型和受检主要肌肉群而异。然而，对于这三种补充剂中的每一种，有限的文献中总结的结果都没有关于女性的剂量、时间或疗效的共识。此外，文献中缺乏对激素状态及其在新陈代谢中的作用的考虑。这种基于性别的知识空白需要对女性进行这些运动表现辅助剂的进一步研究，并更充分地考虑激素状态的影响。
