Mind over muscle: could a sugar pill boost your workout like caffeine?

NCT ID NCT07748429

Not yet recruiting Knowledge-focused Sponsor: Poznan University of Physical Education Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Aug 05, 2026 · Last updated Aug 06, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study asks whether simply believing you've taken caffeine can improve physical and mental performance, even when you've actually received a placebo. Healthy adults aged 20–30 will complete four cycling sessions, sometimes getting real caffeine and sometimes a dummy pill, while researchers track heart rate, stress hormones, and work output. The goal is to understand how expectations shape our psychophysiological limits and to refine a mathematical model of the placebo effect.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: Caffeine (6 mg/kg) and placebo (starch capsule)
What this could lead to: If expectations alone can measurably boost physical and cognitive performance, this could point toward non-drug ways to enhance athletic and mental output.
What could go wrong: This is a small mechanistic study in healthy young adults, so results may not apply to athletes or patients. The placebo effect is notoriously variable and hard to reproduce.

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As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE PLACEBO EFFECT

Contacts and locations

Locations

Poznan University of Physical Education

Poznan, Wielkopolska, Poland

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