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Abstract

Introduction: it is important for athletes to use sports drinks to help them reach their ‎maximum capability in performing an important issue. The aim of this research was ‎to evaluate the effect of the combination of caffeine and sodium bicarbonate on ‎performing special skill tests, blood lactate and heart rate indices in elite Karate ‎athletes of Iran. Methodology: This quasi-experimental study was carried out on 8 elite karate ‎athletes in Iran (with a mean age of 21.5 ± 0.5 years). The subjects were divided ‎randomly into three groups with a double-blinded model in three separate days. One ‎group received neither supplement nor placebo on the first day, another group ‎received sodium bicarbonate supplement and caffeine on the second day, and the ‎other group received placebo on the third day. SPSS 21 software was used to analyze ‎the data.‎ Results: The results of this research revealed that after drinking caffeine and sodium ‎bicarbonate, there was a significant increase in performing special skill test in karate ‎‎(p = 0.001). The results also showed that the values of lactate, blood pressure and ‎heart rate increased significantly in each stage of the pretest, immediately after the ‎test and in the period of returning to the initial state (p <0.05). Blood pressure and ‎heart rate values were significantly lower in returning to the initial state in the ‎supplement group (drinking caffeine and sodium bicarbonate), compared to other ‎groups.‎ Conclusion: The results of this study revealed that sports drinks cannot only improve blood ‎pressure and heart rate in Iranian elite karate athletes, but can also be useful in ‎enhancing sports performance‎‎.