# A systematic review and meta-analysis of the evidence on the acute effects of caffeine on sport-specific skills, physical performance, and physiological function in female basketball players

## TL;DR

This study reviews evidence on how caffeine affects female basketball players' performance, finding a moderate effect on power output but no significant impact on most other skills or physical performance.

## Contribution

The first meta-analysis focusing specifically on caffeine's effects on female basketball performance, addressing a gap in prior male-dominated research.

## Key findings

- Caffeine intake may moderately improve power output in female basketball players.
- No statistically significant effects on sport-specific skills or physical performance measures like jump height or agility.
- Potential adverse effects such as insomnia and tachycardia were observed with caffeine consumption.

## Abstract

Previous original research and meta-analyses have shown that caffeine enhances performance in basketball. However, most studies on caffeine’s effects in basketball have focused on male or mixed-gender samples, and there is currently no meta-analysis specifically on caffeine’s impact on female basketball performance. This study aimed to synthesize current evidence to examine the effects of caffeine supplementation on multidimensional performance outcomes in female basketball players.

A systematic search was conducted in May 2025 across PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Scopus, the Cochrane Library, ProQuest, and EBSCO. Randomized crossover trials examining the effects of caffeine intake on performance in female basketball players were included. Methodological quality and risk of bias were assessed using the PEDro scale and the RoB 2 tool, and the certainty of evidence was evaluated using the GRADE approach.

Seven studies met the inclusion criteria, demonstrating overall high methodological quality and low risk of bias. The meta-analysis showed that, in female basketball players, caffeine intake may have a moderate effect on power output, whereas it did not produce statistically significant effects on sport-specific skills (shooting accuracy and dribble sprint performance), physical performance (jump height, agility, off-ball sprinting, and anaerobic capacity), or physiological function (perceived fatigue and physiological/biochemical markers) in female basketball players. Caffeine consumption was, however, associated with potential adverse effects, including insomnia, tachycardia, and headache. Although statistical significance was not reached for several outcomes, moderate effect sizes were observed for jump height (p = 0.08), off-ball sprint performance (p = 0.051), and physiological/biochemical markers (p = 0.052), suggesting that caffeine may exert a potential modulatory effect on performance.

Across the included studies, which examined caffeine doses ranging from 2.1 to 9 mg/kg this review found no statistically significant effects on most performance outcomes in female basketball players, although a significant pooled effect was observed for power output. However, effect sizes varied across performance measures and may be modulated by menstrual cycle–related physiological factors. Given the intermittent demands of basketball and the limited sample sizes of available studies, further research with larger cohorts and more rigorous study designs is warranted.

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, PROSPERO: CRD420251025291.