Acute Effects of BCAA and L-Arginine on Performance in Elite Soccer Players

NCT07347509 | Completed

• 2 other identifiers: CST-SOCCER-2024ID SBA-2025-15316
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 21
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

his study aims to investigate the acute effects of a single pre-exercise dose of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) and L-arginine supplementation on anaerobic performance, sprint speed, agility, lactate response, and post-exercise heart rate recovery in male football players competing in a youth development league. Twenty-one football players participating in the T.F.F. U-19 Development League will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: BCAA (n = 7), L-arginine (n = 7), or placebo (n = 7). Participants will receive either 12 g of BCAA (4:1:1), 5 g of L-arginine, or an equivalent amount of maltodextrin, administered 1.5 hours before training. Performance assessments will include 10 m and 20 m sprint tests, an agility test, the Wingate anaerobic power test, blood lactate measurements, and post-exercise heart rate recovery measurements taken at the 1st, 3rd, and 5th minutes of recovery. Data will be analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance to examine within- and between-group differences.Data obtained from the study were analyzed using the JASP 0.95.4 software. Pre-test and post-test values of the experimental and control groups were evaluated using Repeated Measures ANOVA. Effect size was determined using Eta Squared (η²), and differences between groups were identified using Tukey post hoc analysis. A 95% confidence interval was applied, and statistical significance was accepted at p \< 0.05. In the BCAA group, 20 m sprint performance (p \< 0.05) and agility test results (p \< 0.05) improved significantly compared to the control group. Additionally, heart rate recovery at the 3rd and 5th minutes was significantly faster in the BCAA group compared to both the L-arginine and placebo groups (p \< 0.05). In the L-arginine group, no significant improvements were observed in sprint performance, agility, lactate response, or Wingate parameters compared to placebo. No significant differences were found between groups in lactate response or anaerobic power variables (peak, mean, and minimum power, and fatigue index) (p \> 0.05). A single dose of BCAA supplementation improves short-distance sprint performance, agility, and heart rate recovery in football players; however, it does not have a significant effect on anaerobic power or lactate response. Acute L-arginine supplementation did not produce a significant ergogenic effect on these parameters. The findings suggest that amino acid supplementation may produce more pronounced effects with chronic rather than acute application

Conditions

Ergogenic Support and Performance

Keywords

Football; BCAA; L-Arginine; Performance

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Anaerobic Performance

  Anaerobic performance assessed using the Wingate Anaerobic Test.

  Immediately after acute supplementation

Study Arms (3)

BCAA Supplementation Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants received a single acute oral dose of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) prior to the anaerobic performance, speed, agility, and recovery tests.

Combination Product: BCAA

L-Arginine Supplementation Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants received a single acute oral dose of L-arginine prior to the anaerobic performance, speed, agility, and recovery tests.

Dietary Supplement: L-Arginine

MIX Supplementation Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants received a placebo supplement prior to the anaerobic performance, speed, agility, and recovery tests.

Dietary Supplement: bcaa and l arginine

Interventions

BCAA COMBINATION_PRODUCT

A single acute oral dose of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) administered prior to the anaerobic performance, speed, agility, and recovery tests.

BCAA Supplementation Group

L-Arginine DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

A single acute oral dose of L-arginine administered prior to testing.

L-Arginine Supplementation Group

bcaa and l arginine DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

A placebo supplement administered prior to testing.

MIX Supplementation Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 19 Years - 19 Years
• Sex: male
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Male football players aged 19 years
• Actively competing in a youth development or amateur football league
• Minimum of 3 years of regular football training experience
• Training at least 4 days per week
• Free from musculoskeletal injury in the last 6 months
• No use of nutritional supplements (including BCAA or L-arginine) for at least 4 weeks prior to the study
• Voluntary participation with written informed consent

You may not qualify if:

• Presence of any cardiovascular, metabolic, neurological, or chronic disease
• Use of medications or supplements that may affect performance outcomes
• History of surgery within the last 6 months
• Known allergy or intolerance to BCAA or L-arginine
• Smoking or alcohol abuse
• Failure to comply with study protocol

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Ataturk University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Atatürk University

Erzurum, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location

MeSH Terms

Interventions

Arginine; Amino Acids

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Amino Acids, Basic; Amino Acids, Peptides, and Proteins; Amino Acids, Diamino; Amino Acids, Essential

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: December 30, 2025
• First Posted: January 16, 2026
• Study Start: January 10, 2025
• Primary Completion: June 12, 2025
• Study Completion: September 15, 2025
• Last Updated: January 16, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-01

Locations

TU (1)