Abstract
INTRODUCTION: With the rise of esports and energy drink use among gamers, it is essential to understand its effect on performance. PURPOSE: To examine how energy drinks affect esport athletes' manual dexterity and reaction time. METHODS: Twenty volunteers, ages 18 to 40, were tested after ingesting 16 oz of G Fuel, Red Bull, Bang Energy Drink, and a placebo. Sessions were counterbalanced and separated by three to seven days. The Box and Block Test assessed manual dexterity, AimLab Detection and Grid Shot assessed hand-eye coordination, and Human Benchmark assessed reaction time. Repeated measures ANOVA were used to assess difference with alpha set at .05 for all tests. RESULTS: No significant differences in manual dexterity or reaction time across all conditions (p > .05). However, a notable increase in heart rate was observed with Bang Energy Drink (11.2±5.3 b/min) compared to the placebo (6.5±3.2 b/min), p = .003. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that while energy drinks may not enhance manual dexterity or reaction time, it is possible they can significantly affect physiological responses, such as heart rate. Further research is needed to explore the long-term effects and potential health risks associated with energy drink consumption in esports athletes
Recommended Citation
Gonzalez, Joshua G. and Smith, John D.
(2025)
"Effect of Energy Drinks on Manual Dexterity and Reaction Time in Esports Athletes,"
International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings: Vol. 2:
Iss.
17, Article 140.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol2/iss17/140
