{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,8]],"date-time":"2026-05-08T03:47:55Z","timestamp":1778212075640,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":29,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,30]],"date-time":"2025-05-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1748563200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Pharma Foods International Co., Ltd. (Kyoto, Japan)","award":["No. OI26-00236"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["No. OI26-00236"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nutrients"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Objective: This study focused on the effect of \u03b3-aminobutyric acid (GABA) intake on psychological state and game performance during esports gameplay. Methods: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study was conducted with eight healthy male university students aged 20\u201324 years who regularly play esports. The participants ingested either 200 mg of GABA or a placebo prior to gameplay and then completed a standardized esports task using the Mobalytics Proving Ground\u2122 (MPG), a perceptual-cognitive task within \u201cLeague of Legends\u201d designed to train and evaluate player performance. Subjective psychological states were assessed pre- and post-gameplay using the Profile of Mood States 2 (POMS2\u00ae) short version. Esports task performance was evaluated based on MPG scores. Results: GABA intake significantly reduced psychological confusion\u2013bewilderment and fatigue in the POMS 2\u00ae short version during esports gameplay. Furthermore, the game scores were significantly higher in the GABA group compared to the placebo group. Conclusions: These findings suggest that GABA intake may serve as a potential strategy to enhance both the mental state and performance of esports players.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nu17111870","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,30]],"date-time":"2025-05-30T06:14:27Z","timestamp":1748585667000},"page":"1870","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["\u03b3-Aminobutyric Acid Intake Improves Psychological State and Performance in Esports: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind Crossover Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Yoshihiro","family":"Hara","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"R&D Division, Pharma Foods International Co., Ltd., 1-49, Goryo-Ohara, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto 615-8245, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9487-0522","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Utano","family":"Nakamura","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"R&D Division, Pharma Foods International Co., Ltd., 1-49, Goryo-Ohara, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto 615-8245, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Keita","family":"Koga","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"R&D Division, Pharma Foods International Co., Ltd., 1-49, Goryo-Ohara, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto 615-8245, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-6384-3193","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yusuke","family":"Yamashita","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"R&D Division, Pharma Foods International Co., Ltd., 1-49, Goryo-Ohara, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto 615-8245, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Youngil","family":"Kim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"R&D Division, Pharma Foods International Co., Ltd., 1-49, Goryo-Ohara, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto 615-8245, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2203-0625","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Goichi","family":"Hagiwara","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Human Science, Department of Sport Science and Health, Kyushu Sangyo University, 2-3-1 Matsukadai, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 813-8503, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-6731-4457","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ryousuke","family":"Furukado","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Engineering, Integrated System Engineering, Nishinippon Institute of Technology, 1-11, Aratsu, Miyako-gun, Fukuoka 800-0394, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"485","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jshs.2020.04.006","article-title":"Linking Esports to health risks and benefits: Current knowledge and future research needs","volume":"9","author":"Yin","year":"2020","journal-title":"J. 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