Transdermal carnosine gel fails to improve repeated Wingate performance in trained male cyclists: A randomized controlled cross-over trial

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a transdermal carnosine (TC) gel improved repeated Wingate sprint performance in trained cyclists.Methods: Fifteen trained male cyclists completed three cycling sessions that included a 15-sec sprint to estimate glycolytic capacity (VLaMax) followed by five Wingate sprints with 4 to 5-min of active recovery. Session 1 served as a final familiarization trial, while sessions 2 and 3 utilized a randomized application of either 10 ml of placebo or 10 ml of a mentholated TC gel to the legs at least 60-min prior to the session. Blood lactate concentration (BLC) and power output were measured during the session. A 3 X 5 crossover design with a repeated measures Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to explore statistical differences (α = 0.05) in two main effects.Results: Mean VLaMax and 15-sec power were 0.74 + 0.31 mM.sec-1.L-1 and 748.6 + 135.2 W, respectively, while mean Wingate peak BLC and 30-sec power of 16.8 + 2.6 mM and 584.7 + 78.3 W, respectively, and mean rest time between sprints was 278.7 + 11.2 sec. There were no statistically significant improvements in any performance measure between familiarization, placebo, or TC gel sessions, with five showing a significant (p=0.0380) decrease in total and significantly (p=0.0127) higher BLC after TC treatment. Conclusions: A single recommended dose of TC gel did not improve repeated Wingate sprint performance in trained male cyclists. Even after elimination of nocebo subjects, performance improvement was still negligible.