The Efficacy of a Pre-Workout Vegan Supplement on High-Intensity Cycling Performance in Healthy College-Aged Males

ABSTRACT

There is a limited supply of sport nutrition supplements currently available for vegan or vegetarian athletes. In addition, the efficacy of a vegan or vegetarian pre-workout supplement that does not contain any processed ingredients or stimulants is currently unknown. The purpose of the current study was to examine the effects of an unprocessed vegan pre-workout supplement on high-intensity cycling performance. Participants completed three separate cycling trials following the consumption of a vegan pre-workout supplement, an isocaloric processed supplement, or a zero-calorie placebo supplement. Each supplement was consumed 30 minutes prior to each trial, and each cycling trial was separated by a minimum of 72 hours. Supplements were administered using a randomized, double-blind cross-over design. Each cycling trial was performed at a workload equal to 80% VO_2peak until exhaustion. The average time in seconds (s) until exhaustion values for the vegan, isocaloric, and zero-calorie supplements were 482 ± 163, 480 ± 157, and 496 ± 238, respectively. Consumption of the vegan supplement did not significantly improve performance compared to an isocaloric and zero-calorie supplement (F = 0.12, p =.89). The results of this study indicate that individuals who choose a vegan pre-workout supplement (over an isocaloric or zero-calorie product) will not experience any acute decrements or ergogenic benefits in cycling performance. Although the present study does not support performance benefits of the tested vegan pre-workout supplement before cycling, additional research examining various exercise intensities and modalities is warranted.

KEYWORDS:

• acute exercise
• exhaustion
• respiratory exchange ratio

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the research participants for their commitment to the research study.

Declaration of interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

About the authors

Gabrielle Gallien, BS, has recently graduated from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and is interested in pursuing a career in physical therapy.

David Bellar, PhD, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, is interested in environmental physiology and sports supplements.

Greggory R. Davis, PhD, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, is interested in acute metabolic responses to exercise.