Annals of Medicine Research and Public Health (ISSN: 2995-5955) | Volume 5, Issue 2 | Research Article | Open Access DOI
Bert H. Jacobson*
Bert H. Jacobson* and Steve Azzaro
School of Kinesiology, Applied Health and Recreation Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA
*Correspondence to: Bert H. Jacobson
Fulltext PDFGuarana (Paullinia Cupana), a climbing vine found in the Amazon basin of Brazil is a stimulant frequently used in energy drinks and sodas and contains caffeine, theobromine, and theophylline. Previous studies have found that guarana affects cognitive performance, speed of attention, task accuracy and fatigue tolerance. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of guarana on simple reaction time (SRT) and choice reaction time (CRT).
PROCEDURE: Subjects (n=47) (age 20±1.2yrs) were randomly placed into the experimental group and the control group prior to the onset of the study. Both groups underwent a SRT test and a CRT test. All assessment were computer generated and scored. The SRT test involved tapping a computer mouse when, on the screen a red circle switched from red to green. Scores were recorded in milliseconds and averaged for five rounds. The CRT assessment involved coordinated control of eye movement with hand reaction. The assessment consisted of 20 rounds starting from easy and progressing to hard and was scored by accuracy. On a double-blind format, the experimental group was given 500 mg guarana and the control group was given an inert placebo. Full absorption was enhanced by an eight-hour post-prandial format and a 40 min. absorption period.
RESULTS: No significant pre-test difference was found between groups for the SRT test (p>0.05). For SRT, the Guarana group improved 7.3% from pre- to posttest (303.5ms – 281.4ms) (Figure 1) while the placebo group only improved 1.1% (295.2ms – 292.1ms). This difference did not reach significance (p>0.05). For the CRT assessment there was no pre-test significance between the groups. For pre- to post- test the guarana group improved 13.4% (50.8-57.5 correct) and the placebo group scored only .03% correct (58.1- 58.3), but did not reach significance (Figure 2).
CONCLUSION: The guarana group surpassed the control group in both SRT and CRT indicating that the guarana supplement positively affected the speed of simple reaction time and accuracy in choice reaction time over the placebo. This is consistent with others1-3 who found Guarana ingestion improved simple and choice reaction time, accuracy and response time. The effect of Guarana may be beneficial in sports and activities that require accuracy and fast response time.
Reaction; Time; Supplement; Performance; Vision
Bert H. Jacobson, Steve Azzaro. Effect of Nootropic Guarana (Paullinia Cupana) Supplement on Simple and Choice Reaction Time in Young Healthy Adults. Ann Med Res Pub Health. 2026;5(2):1-6.