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Rodríguez-Longobardo CAuthor

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Review

Ergogenic Aids to Improve Physical Performance in Female Athletes: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis

Publicated to:Nutrients. 15 (1): 81- - 2023-01-01 15(1), DOI: 10.3390/nu15010081

Authors: López-Torres, O; Rodríguez-Longobardo, C; Capel-Escoriza, R; Fernández-Elías, VE

Affiliations

Raquel Wellness Inst Nutr & Salud, Madrid 28050, Spain - Author
Univ Europea Madrid, Fac Sport Sci, Madrid 28670, Spain - Author
Univ Politecn Madrid, Fac Phys Act & Sport Sci, Sport & Leisure Dept, Social Sci Phys Act, Madrid 28040, Spain - Author
Universidad Europea de Madrid - Author
Universidad Europea de Madrid , Raquel Wellness Instituto de Nutrición y Salud - Author
Universidad Politécnica de Madrid - Author
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Abstract

Most intervention studies investigating the effects of ergogenic aids (EAs) on sports performance have been carried out in the male population. Thus, the aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to summarize the effects in the existing literature of EAs used by female athletes on performance. A literature research was conducted, and a descriptive analysis of the articles included in the systematic review was carried out. Meta-analyses could be performed on 32 of the included articles, evaluating performance in strength, sprint, and cardiovascular capacity. A random-effects model and the standardized mean differences (SMD) ± 95% confidence intervals (CI) were reported. The results showed that caffeine helped to improve jumping performance, isometric strength values, and the number of repetitions until failure. Caffeine and sodium phosphate helped to improve sprint performance. Aerobic tests could be improved with the use of taurine, caffeine, and beta-alanine. No conclusive effects of beetroot juice, polyphenols, or creatine in improving aerobic performance were shown. In terms of anaerobic variables, both caffeine and sodium phosphate could help to improve repeated sprint ability. More studies are needed in female athletes that measure the effects of different EAs on sports performance, such as beetroot juice, beta-alanine or sodium phosphate, as the studies to date are scarce and there are many types of EA that need to be further considered in this population, such as creatine and taurine.

Keywords

beetroot juicebody-compositioncaffeine supplementationcreatine supplementationdietary nitrateexerciseexercise performancenutritionoxidative stressperformancesodium-phosphatesportssprint performancesupplementationAntioxidantsAthletesAthletic performanceBeta-alanineBeta-alanine supplementationCaffeineCreatineDietary supplementsExerciseFemaleHumansMaleNutritionPerformancePerformance-enhancing substancesPhysical functional performanceSportsSupplementationWomen

Quality index

Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel

The work has been published in the journal Nutrients due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency WoS (JCR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2023, it was in position 18/114, thus managing to position itself as a Q1 (Primer Cuartil), in the category Nutrition & Dietetics.

From a relative perspective, and based on the normalized impact indicator calculated from World Citations provided by WoS (ESI, Clarivate), it yields a value for the citation normalization relative to the expected citation rate of: 2.25. This indicates that, compared to works in the same discipline and in the same year of publication, it ranks as a work cited above average. (source consulted: ESI Nov 14, 2024)

This information is reinforced by other indicators of the same type, which, although dynamic over time and dependent on the set of average global citations at the time of their calculation, consistently position the work at some point among the top 50% most cited in its field:

  • Weighted Average of Normalized Impact by the Scopus agency: 2.68 (source consulted: FECYT Feb 2024)
  • Field Citation Ratio (FCR) from Dimensions: 9.88 (source consulted: Dimensions Jun 2025)

Specifically, and according to different indexing agencies, this work has accumulated citations as of 2025-06-11, the following number of citations:

  • WoS: 13
  • Scopus: 19
  • OpenCitations: 14

Impact and social visibility

From the perspective of influence or social adoption, and based on metrics associated with mentions and interactions provided by agencies specializing in calculating the so-called "Alternative or Social Metrics," we can highlight as of 2025-06-11:

  • The use, from an academic perspective evidenced by the Altmetric agency indicator referring to aggregations made by the personal bibliographic manager Mendeley, gives us a total of: 177.
  • The use of this contribution in bookmarks, code forks, additions to favorite lists for recurrent reading, as well as general views, indicates that someone is using the publication as a basis for their current work. This may be a notable indicator of future more formal and academic citations. This claim is supported by the result of the "Capture" indicator, which yields a total of: 167 (PlumX).

With a more dissemination-oriented intent and targeting more general audiences, we can observe other more global scores such as:

  • The Total Score from Altmetric: 16.75.
  • The number of mentions on the social network Facebook: 1 (Altmetric).
  • The number of mentions on the social network X (formerly Twitter): 15 (Altmetric).
  • The number of mentions in news outlets: 1 (Altmetric).

It is essential to present evidence supporting full alignment with institutional principles and guidelines on Open Science and the Conservation and Dissemination of Intellectual Heritage. A clear example of this is:

  • The work has been submitted to a journal whose editorial policy allows open Open Access publication.