Ergogenic aids to improve physical performance in female athletes: a systematic review with meta-analysis

Abstract

Most intervention studies using ergogenic aids (EA) to investigate the effects in sport performance have been carried out in male population. Thus, the aim of this systematic review and me-ta-analysis was to summarize the effect of the existing literature of EA used by female athletes on performance. A literature research was conducted, and a descriptive analysis of the articles in-cluded in the systematic review was carried out. Meta-analyses could be performed on 32 of the included articles, evaluating performance in strength, sprint, and cardiovascular capacity. Ran-dom-effects model and standardized mean differences (SMD) ± 95% confidence intervals (CI) were reported. Results showed that caffeine helped to improve jumping performance, isometric strength values, and the number of repetitions to failure. Caffeine and sodium phosphate helped to improve sprint performance. Aerobic tests could be improved with the use of taurine, caffeine and beta-alanine. No conclusive effects of beetroot juice, polyphenols, or creatine to improve aerobic performance were shown. In anaerobic variables, both caffeine and sodium phosphate could help to improve repeated sprint ability