Sodium phosphate and repeated sprint performance in male athletes
What it found
Sodium phosphate led to the fastest sprint times compared with a dummy pill in eleven male athletes.
The authors say the improvement was not statistically significant but still likely helpful.
What they found
Studies in people
Sprint times overall
When comparing all four trials directly, there were no clear statistical differences in first-sprint, best-sprint, or total-sprint times.
Sodium phosphate versus placebo
Sodium phosphate produced the fastest times across all sprints compared with the dummy pill. The authors rated the chance of benefit as likely to very likely.
Sodium phosphate versus caffeine
Compared with caffeine alone, sodium phosphate showed a possible to likely chance of faster sprint times across several sets.
Combined supplements
Taking both sodium phosphate and caffeine together showed a possible to likely benefit for many sprints compared with the dummy pill. Caffeine alone also showed a likely benefit for some sets.
What the authors conclude
- They note that while the results did not reach statistical significance, the analysis suggests sodium phosphate may improve repeated-sprint performance compared with a dummy pill.
How it was done
The authors wanted to see how sodium phosphate and caffeine affect the ability to do repeated short sprints.
Eleven male team-sport athletes took part in four trials using different combinations of sodium phosphate, caffeine, or dummy pills. Sodium phosphate was given at 50 mg per kg of fat-free body mass daily for six days. After this loading period, they ran a simulated game circuit with two 30-minute halves and sets of six 20-metre sprints.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This trial only included eleven men, so the results may not apply to women or larger groups. It measured short-term sprint performance, not long-term health effects.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- The University of Western Australia, Australia
The paper
- Title
- Effects of sodium phosphate and caffeine ingestion on repeated-sprint ability in male athletes
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Kopec BJ, Dawson BT, Buck C, Wallman KE (2016). Effects of sodium phosphate and caffeine ingestion on repeated-sprint ability in male athletes. Journal of science and medicine in sport. doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2015.04.001PubMed 25953613DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error