A study on the differences in recovery effects of different types of nutritional supplements on competitive performance of esports athletes under mental fatigue.

Mental fatigue significantly reduced the competitive performance of esports athletes across multiple performance domains.

• Mental fatigue was induced using a Stroop task protocol
• Performance was assessed across four domains: shooting accuracy, shooting stability, spatial localization, and multitasking ability
• Twenty high-level first-person shooter (FPS) esports athletes were recruited as participants
• A randomized crossover within-subject controlled experimental design was used, with mental fatigue state measured at three time points: initial, fatigued, and post-supplementation

All four nutritional supplements significantly improved shooting accuracy scores following mental fatigue compared to placebo.

• The four supplements tested were caffeine, nitrate, Ginkgo biloba extract, and catechins
• All four supplements produced significant improvement vs. placebo (all p < 0.05)
• No significant differences were observed among the effects of the different supplements on shooting accuracy
• Shooting accuracy was assessed using the KovaaK's simulation trainer
• Participants rested for 60 minutes after ingesting supplements before completing assessments

Caffeine, nitrate, and catechins produced significant recovery effects on shooting stability following mental fatigue, but Ginkgo biloba extract did not.

• Three of the four supplements—caffeine, nitrate, and catechins—significantly improved shooting stability (all p < 0.05)
• No significant differences were observed among the effects of these three supplements on shooting stability
• Ginkgo biloba extract was not identified as producing a significant recovery effect on shooting stability
• Shooting stability was assessed using the KovaaK's simulation trainer

None of the four nutritional supplements demonstrated a significant recovery effect on spatial localization or multitasking ability beyond natural recovery.

• Improvements in spatial localization and multitasking ability in the post-supplementation state may have resulted from natural recovery rather than supplement effects
• No significant differences were found between any supplement condition and placebo for these two abilities
• Both spatial localization and multitasking ability were assessed using the KovaaK's simulation trainer
• This finding held across all four supplement types: caffeine, nitrate, Ginkgo biloba extract, and catechins

Heart rate variability indices RMSSD and SDNN changed under some supplement conditions, suggesting alterations in autonomic regulation during recovery.

• HRV indices were recorded to evaluate changes in autonomic regulation following supplementation
• RMSSD and SDNN were among the HRV indices that showed changes under some supplement conditions
• The authors note that 'changes in HRV may reflect changes in autonomic regulation during recovery, but further research is still warranted'
• HRV monitoring was used as an observational measure of autonomic nervous system activity alongside performance testing

The study used a randomized crossover within-subject controlled design with five supplement conditions tested in twenty high-level FPS esports athletes.

• Twenty high-level first-person shooter (FPS) esports athletes were recruited
• The experimental design was a 5 (supplement type: caffeine, nitrate, Ginkgo biloba extract, catechins, placebo) × 3 (mental fatigue state: initial, fatigued, post-supplementation) randomized crossover within-subject design
• Mental fatigue was induced using a Stroop task
• After ingesting supplements, participants rested for 60 minutes before completing performance assessments
• Performance was measured using the KovaaK's simulation trainer across four competitive ability domains