COMBINED EFFECT OF CAFFEINE AND AEROBIC EXERCISE ON PULSE RATE, OXYGEN TENSION AND SOME RESPIRATORY PARAMETERS

ABSTRACT

Caffeine is ubiquitous and is widely consumed throughout the world for both medical and non-medical purposes. It is found in coffee, tea, cola -flavoured soft drinks, caffeine-infused energy drinks, cocoa and chocolate. It has been proven to be a strong ventilator stimulant (Chapman and Mickleborough, 2009). Exercise is defined as any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that require energy expenditure (WHO, 2016). However, the effects of caffeine during physical exercise have been widely documented (santoset al., 2011). Caffeine has been reported to be a respiratory stimulant (Omigie and Iyawe, 2014). Increase in exercise increases the rate and depth of respiration and so improves FVC and consumption of oxygen (Delket et al.,1994). This study is aimed at evaluating the combine effect of caffeine and aerobic exercise on pulse rate, oxygen tension and some respiratory parameters. 40 healthy male subjects within the university environs were recruited for this study and divided into 4 different groups. Group A: control group. Group B: caffeine only. Group C: exercise only. Group D: caffeine and exercise. Prior to the research, subjects were asked to abstain from exercise, alcohol, coffee and substances containing caffeine. Each subject was administered 70mg of caffeine per serving (Nawrot et al., 2003). Subjects also the exercised for a period of 10 minutes and the readings were taken. Data was presented as mean ± S.E.M and analyzed for statistical significance by one way analysis of variance (ANOVA) using Graph-pad prism statistical software (version 8.0). Result on pulse rate shows significant decrease on the ingestion of caffeine alone and increase in exercise in and in  the combined effect of exercise and caffeine, however there was no significant difference on oxygen tension and respiratory parameters during exercise and for caffeine ingestion. This research therefore showed that the ingestion of caffeine alone decreases pulse rate, increases pulse rate in exercise alone and also when exercise was combined with caffeine and have no effect on oxygen tension and respiratory parameters in young healthy males.