SynthesisFrontiers in nutrition2026
Caffeine and physical performance in female intermittent sport athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis considering menstrual cycle phase.
Synthesis in Frontiers in nutrition, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Pooled it
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Introduction: Female athletes remain underrepresented in caffeine-based performance research, and inconsistent menstrual cycle classification further limits generalization of the current evidence. This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the effects of caffeine on physical performance in female athletes participating in intermittent sports and explored whether these effects differ between the menstrual cycle phases, within the constraints of the available literature. Methods: A systematic search was conducted (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science) from January 2000 to September 2025. Randomized controlled trials evaluating caffeine effects on physical performance in female athletes participating in intermittent-type sports and reporting menstrual cycle phase were included. Random-effects meta-analyses using standardized mean differences were conducted and subgroup analysis by menstrual cycle phase were pre-specified. Study quality was assessed using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database scale and Risk-of-Bias tool. Results: Nine studies ( Conclusion: Caffeine was associated with improvements in vertical jump and agility in females from intermittent sports. However, the small number of studies reporting menstrual cycle details, lack of appropriate experimental designs, and absence of rigorous menstrual cycle verification limit inference regarding phase-dependent effects. These findings highlight the need for well-designed studies to robustly test whether caffeine responses differ across menstrual cycle phases. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD42025634451.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.