{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]],"date-time":"2026-09-30T10:01:28Z","timestamp":1790762488484,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":46,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,5]],"date-time":"2026-06-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1780617600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Life"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Handball requires athletes to sustain intermittent high-intensity effort while maintaining rapid cognitive processing and technical skills. Caffeine is widely used as an ergogenic aid, yet its dose-dependent effects across physical, cognitive, and technical performance outcomes remain unclear in female handball players. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study examined the acute effects of low-dose caffeine (LCAF; 3 mg\/kg), moderate-dose caffeine (MCAF; 6 mg\/kg), and placebo (PLA) in trained female handball players. Participants (n = 20) completed three experimental sessions separated by 72 h. Cognitive performance was assessed using the Simplified Eriksen Flanker Test, throwing performance was evaluated through maximal ball velocity, and intermittent running capacity was measured with the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level 1. Both LCAF and MCAF significantly improved Yo-Yo performance compared with PLA (\u03b72p = 0.415, representing improvements of approximately ~23.5% and 29.0%), with no difference between caffeine doses. MCAF significantly reduced overall Flanker response time (\u03b72p = 0.486, ~18.5%) and congruent and incongruent trial response time compared with PLA and LCAF. No significant effects were observed for throwing velocity, Flanker accuracy and interference scores. These findings suggest that acute caffeine intake has performance-specific effects in female handball players: intermittent running performance responded to both doses, whereas cognitive enhancement was limited to response time, with no improvements in inhibitory control or accuracy.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/life16060954","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,5]],"date-time":"2026-06-05T08:43:04Z","timestamp":1780648984000},"page":"954","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Dose-Dependent Effects of Acute Caffeine Ingestion on Physical and Cognitive Performance in Trained Female Handball Players: A Randomized Crossover Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4050-6482","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Murat","family":"Turgut","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Sport Management, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Sinop University, Osmaniye 57100, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7767-8416","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ulas Can","family":"Yildirim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Coaching Education, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Sinop University, Osmaniye 57100, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3217-0253","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Akan","family":"Bayrakdar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Coaching Education, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University, Alanya 07400, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2285-7980","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Aydan","family":"Ermis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Foreign Languages, School of Foreign Languages, Ondokuz May\u0131s University, Atakum 55200, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Idris","family":"Kayantas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Coaching Education, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Bingol University, Central 12000, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6092-2849","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Selin","family":"Yildirim Tuncer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Coaching Education, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Lokman Hekim University, \u00c7ankaya 06510, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Izzet","family":"Karakulak","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Sport Management, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Mardin Artuklu University, Artuklu 47100, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4861-3629","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mehmet Can","family":"Gundem","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Sport Management, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Sinop University, Osmaniye 57100, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-4204-8592","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Deema Mohammed","family":"Alogaiel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Health Sciences Department, College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5255-4860","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Monira I.","family":"Aldhahi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,5]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"763","DOI":"10.1007\/s40279-014-0163-0","article-title":"Pacing and Decision Making in Sport and Exercise: The Roles of Perception and Action in the Regulation of Exercise Intensity","volume":"44","author":"Smits","year":"2014","journal-title":"Sports Med."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"38","DOI":"10.1186\/s40798-023-00575-7","article-title":"Many Pieces to the Puzzle: A New Holistic Workload Approach to Designing Practice in Sports","volume":"9","author":"Champion","year":"2023","journal-title":"Sports Med.-Open"},{"key":"ref_3","first-page":"1","article-title":"Ergogen\u0131c A\u0131ds In Compet\u0131t\u0131ve Handball Players: A Narrat\u0131ve Rev\u0131ew","volume":"14","author":"Coso","year":"2022","journal-title":"J. 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