CHOMR was associated with higher RPE, lower mental fatigue, and selective improvements in technical actions, with no significant effects on kinematic variables or HR during 4-a-side small-sided soccer games.
Carbohydrate mouth rinsing resulted in significantly higher rating of perceived exertion compared to placebo during small-sided soccer games.
Carbohydrate mouth rinsing significantly reduced visual analogue scale scores for perceived mental fatigue compared to placebo.
Carbohydrate mouth rinsing significantly improved several technical actions including interceptions, successful tackles, unsuccessful tackles, unsuccessful shots, and goals.
Carbohydrate mouth rinsing had no significant effect on kinematic variables during small-sided soccer games.
Carbohydrate mouth rinsing had no significant effect on heart rate responses, enjoyment, mood states, or passing accuracy during small-sided soccer games.
The study employed a randomized, crossover, double-blind design with 16 young male soccer players performing 4-a-side small-sided games.
This research suggests that rinsing the mouth with a carbohydrate solution (without swallowing it) before and/or during small-sided soccer games can selectively influence how young soccer players perform and feel. Specifically, players who used the carbohydrate mouth rinse made more interceptions, successful and unsuccessful tackles, scored more goals, and attempted more shots compared to players who used a placebo rinse. At the same time, the carbohydrate mouth rinse was associated with lower perceived mental fatigue, suggesting players felt mentally fresher during the games. However, players also reported feeling like they were working harder (higher perceived exertion) in the carbohydrate condition, even though their actual physical output — measured by distance covered, sprinting, acceleration, and heart rate — was no different between the two conditions. The findings are notable because they suggest that carbohydrate mouth rinsing may work through the brain rather than the muscles. It is thought that receptors in the mouth detect carbohydrates and send signals to the brain that can influence motivation, decision-making, and technical performance, without necessarily changing how much physical work the body does. This could explain why technical actions (like tackling and interceptions) improved while raw movement metrics (like total distance run) did not change. This research suggests that carbohydrate mouth rinsing could be a practical, low-burden strategy for young soccer players looking to maintain or improve technical performance and reduce mental fatigue during training games or competition, particularly in situations where eating or drinking during play is not feasible. However, the sample was small and consisted only of young male players, so further research is needed to confirm these effects in different populations and game formats.
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Upload Your LabsGorgulu E, Soylu Y, Arslan E, Kilit B, Clarke N. (2026). Effects of carbohydrate mouth rinse on psychophysiological responses, kinematic variables and technical actions during small-sided soccer games.. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.1080/15502783.2026.2726524