Top 50 most-cited articles in caffeine and exercise: contributions for professionals and researchers

Abstract

Objectives: To objectively identify the 50 most-cited articles on caffeine intake and physical exercise, as well as the characteristics that make these articles important for professionals and researchers in the field. Materials and Methods: Data were obtained from a Web of Science search with the keyword’s "caffeine" and "exercise". No restrictions were applied based on abstract availability, study type, language and human versus non-human research subjects or any type of time limitation. Results: All articles were published in English and the number of citations ranged from 85 to 421 (median 124). Regarding the level of evidence, 32 of the articles were classified as level II, ten articles were level I, three articles were level III, and five articles were level V evidence. Among the 50 most-cited articles, 35 articles were original research and 15 were review articles. Most of the original studies (28) investigated caffeine intake on aerobic exercise, another four articles on strength training, and three articles on power training. Considering review studies, 14 investigated caffeine intakes on aerobic exercise and one on strength training. The 50 most cited articles were published in 17 journals, with 60% of the articles published by five journals, with the Journal of Applied Physiology having the highest number of publications. Conclusions: We present the 50 most cited articles on caffeine and exercise by number of citations. The studies presented in this article provide teachers, researchers, and students with a set of classic references about caffeine and exercise.

Keywords

• caffeine
• exercise
• articles
• studies