A trial at Liverpool John Moores University has found that 300 mg of caffeine, taken shortly after waking, did not improve cognitive performance or reactive agility in young men who were not habitual heavy caffeine users. The study appeared in the journal Nutrients on 25 August 2026 and recruited 51 healthy, recreationally active males aged 18 to 30 who normally consumed less than 150 mg of caffeine a day. Each man completed three conditions in a double blind, counterbalanced crossover design: 300 mg of caffeine, a matched placebo, and a no-pill control. Capsules were taken at around 6:30am, in a fasted state, with testing an hour later. Twenty seven of the group also completed reactive agility testing. Across memory, executive function, mood, body temperature, hunger and satiety, the researchers reported no advantage for caffeine over placebo, according to the write-up published by News-Medical.
What the trial measured, and where it stops
The crossover design is a strength, because every participant acted as his own control. The population is the limit. These were young men with low habitual caffeine intake, tested fasted, in the first hours of the day, on a single fixed dose. The reactive agility results rest on 27 people, a small sample for a performance measure. The authors themselves restricted the external validity of the work to early-morning athletes, and the paper sits within a series of standardised morning caffeine trials from the same Liverpool group rather than standing alone. Nothing in it speaks to afternoon training, to habitual coffee drinkers, or to women, none of whom were studied.
What this means for your supplement routine
A single null result does not overturn the wider caffeine literature, most of which has tested trained athletes later in the day and at different intakes. What it does is narrow the claim. In these men, at that hour, at that dose, the measures the researchers chose did not move. That is a reason to read performance marketing carefully, not a reason to change anything already in the cupboard. Perqen does not price on claims: the same products in the full Perqen catalogue carry the same member price whether or not a study makes the news.
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Membership costs 4.99 pounds a month or 29.99 pounds a year and unlocks member pricing across the whole range, rather than burying a margin in the shelf price. Both plans are set out on the Perqen membership page.
This article reports published news and research and is for information only. Food supplements are not a substitute for a varied diet or medical care, and no product mentioned is intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Speak to your GP or pharmacist before changing what you take, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or taking prescribed medicines.