Carbohydrate mouth rinse reduces rating of perceived exertion but does not affect performance and energy systems contribution during a high-intensity exercise

Aim: The study aimed to verify the effect of carbohydrate (CHO) mouth rinse on time to exhaustion, energy systems contribution and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) during a high-intensity exercise. Methods: Fourteen men performed an incremental exercise test to determine their maximal oxygen uptake and peak power output (PPO) and two time-to-exhaustion tests at 110% of PPO. Participants rinsed their mouth with 25ml of 6.4% of CHO or placebo (PLA) solution immediately before the time-to-exhaustion test, using a crossover design. The contribution of the energy systems was calculated using the free software GEDAE-LaB®. Results: Time to exhaustion was similar between the conditions (CHO:174.3±42.8s; PLA:166.7±26.3s; p=0.33). In addition, there was no difference between the CHO and PLA condition for aerobic (CHO:135.1±41.2kJ and PLA:129.8±35.3kJ, p=0.34), anaerobic lactic (CHO:57.6±17.1kJ and PLA:53.4±15.1kJ, p=0.10), and anaerobic alactic (CHO:10.4±8.4kJ and PLA:13.2±9.2kJ, p=0.37) contribution. Consequently, total energy expenditure was similar between conditions (CHO:203.2±46.4kJ and PLA:196.5±45.2kJ, p=0.15). However, CHO mouth rinse reduced the RPE at the moment of exhaustion (CHO:18.2±1.0units and PLA:19.1±1.1units; p=0.02). Conclusion: CHO mouth rinse neither increased time to exhaustion nor altered energy systems contribution during a high-intensity exercise, but reduced the perceived effort at the exhaustion.