Research Article

The Acute Effects of Caffeine Ingestion on Balance, Attention, and Reaction Time in Young Male Athletes: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Experimental Study

Volume: 8 Number: 3 September 30, 2026
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The Acute Effects of Caffeine Ingestion on Balance, Attention, and Reaction Time in Young Male Athletes: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Experimental Study

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate the acute effects of caffeine ingestion on reaction time, selective attention, and postural balance in young male athletes. Using a random-ized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design, 30 participants received 6 mg/kg of caffeine or a placebo 60 minutes before testing. Assessments included the d2 Test of Attention, BlazePod™ reaction system, and the Flamingo Balance Test. Compared to the placebo, caffeine significantly increased the total number of items processed and concentration performance, while reducing omission errors (p < 0.05). Furthermore, caffeine significantly decreased reaction times (p < 0.05). However, no significant interaction was observed re-garding postural balance performance (p = 0.38). Acute caffeine supplementation signifi-cantly improves reaction speed and selective attention by optimizing the speed-accuracy trade-off, without compromising postural stability. These findings suggest that caffeine is a reliable ergogenic aid for sports requiring high cognitive focus and rapid deci-sion-making.

Keywords

Supporting Institution

This research received no external funding.

Ethical Statement

The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Committee of Hakkari University (Date: [20.10.2025], Decision No: [2025/209]).

Thanks

The authors would like to thank all participants for their valuable contributions to this study.

References

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Exercise Physiology, Sports Nutrition

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

September 30, 2026

Submission Date

July 23, 2026

Acceptance Date

September 17, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 8 Number: 3

APA
Yılmaz, U., & Kazak, U. (2026). The Acute Effects of Caffeine Ingestion on Balance, Attention, and Reaction Time in Young Male Athletes: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Experimental Study. Journal of Sport for All and Recreation, 8(3), 405-416. https://doi.org/10.56639/jsar.2002095
AMA
1.Yılmaz U, Kazak U. The Acute Effects of Caffeine Ingestion on Balance, Attention, and Reaction Time in Young Male Athletes: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Experimental Study. JSAR. 2026;8(3):405-416. doi:10.56639/jsar.2002095
Chicago
Yılmaz, Umut, and Umut Kazak. 2026. “The Acute Effects of Caffeine Ingestion on Balance, Attention, and Reaction Time in Young Male Athletes: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Experimental Study”. Journal of Sport for All and Recreation 8 (3): 405-16. https://doi.org/10.56639/jsar.2002095.
EndNote
Yılmaz U, Kazak U (September 1, 2026) The Acute Effects of Caffeine Ingestion on Balance, Attention, and Reaction Time in Young Male Athletes: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Experimental Study. Journal of Sport for All and Recreation 8 3 405–416.
IEEE
[1]U. Yılmaz and U. Kazak, “The Acute Effects of Caffeine Ingestion on Balance, Attention, and Reaction Time in Young Male Athletes: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Experimental Study”, JSAR, vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 405–416, Sept. 2026, doi: 10.56639/jsar.2002095.
ISNAD
Yılmaz, Umut - Kazak, Umut. “The Acute Effects of Caffeine Ingestion on Balance, Attention, and Reaction Time in Young Male Athletes: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Experimental Study”. Journal of Sport for All and Recreation 8/3 (September 1, 2026): 405-416. https://doi.org/10.56639/jsar.2002095.
JAMA
1.Yılmaz U, Kazak U. The Acute Effects of Caffeine Ingestion on Balance, Attention, and Reaction Time in Young Male Athletes: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Experimental Study. JSAR. 2026;8:405–416.
MLA
Yılmaz, Umut, and Umut Kazak. “The Acute Effects of Caffeine Ingestion on Balance, Attention, and Reaction Time in Young Male Athletes: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Experimental Study”. Journal of Sport for All and Recreation, vol. 8, no. 3, Sept. 2026, pp. 405-16, doi:10.56639/jsar.2002095.
Vancouver
1.Umut Yılmaz, Umut Kazak. The Acute Effects of Caffeine Ingestion on Balance, Attention, and Reaction Time in Young Male Athletes: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Experimental Study. JSAR. 2026 Sep. 1;8(3):405-16. doi:10.56639/jsar.2002095

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