Menthol is effective at stimulating thermosensitive neurons that evoke pleasant cooling sensations. Internal application of menthol can be ergogenic for athletes, and hence, addition of menthol to sports nutrition products may be beneficial for athletes. The aim of this study was to develop a menthol energy gel for consumption during exercise and to determine acceptability and preferences for gels with different menthol concentrations. With a randomized, crossover, and double-blind placebo-controlled design, 40 endurance athletes (20 females) ingested an energy gel with a menthol additive at a high (0.5%; HIGH) or low concentration (0.1%; LOW), or a mint-flavored placebo (CON), on separate occasions during outdoor endurance training sessions. The athletes rated the gels for cooling sensation, mint flavor intensity, sweetness, and overall experience and provided feedback. Results are reported as median (interquartile range). Both menthol gels successfully delivered a cooling sensation, with a significantly greater response for HIGH (5.0 [4.0–5.0]) compared with LOW (3.5 [3.0–4.0]; p = .022) and CON (1.0 [1.0–2.0]; p < .0005), and LOW compared with CON (p < .0005). Ratings of mint flavor intensity followed the same trend as cooling sensation, while ratings of overall experience were significantly worse for HIGH (2.0 [1.0–3.0]) compared with LOW (4.0 [2.0–4.0]; p = .001) and CON (4.0 [3.0–4.0]; p < .0005). An energy gel with the addition of menthol at 0.1–0.5% provides a cooling sensation for athletes with a dose–response when ingested during exercise. The 0.1% concentration is recommended to maximize the overall experience of the gel.

薄荷醇可有效刺激热敏神经元，从而唤起令人愉悦的清凉感。薄荷醇的内服对运动员来说可能是强效的，因此，在运动营养产品中添加薄荷醇可能对运动员有益。本研究的目的是开发一种用于运动期间消耗的薄荷醇能量凝胶，并确定具有不同薄荷醇浓度的凝胶的可接受性和偏好。通过随机、交叉和双盲安慰剂对照设计，40 名耐力运动员（20 名女性）摄入了一种含有高浓度（0.5%；高）或低浓度（0.1%；低）薄荷醇添加剂的能量凝胶，或薄荷味安慰剂 (CON)，在户外耐力训练期间的不同场合。运动员对凝胶的清凉感、薄荷味强度、甜度、和整体经验并提供反馈。结果报告为中位数（四分位距）。两种薄荷醇凝胶都成功地提供了清凉感，与 LOW (3.5 [3.0-4.0]) 相比，HIGH (5.0 [4.0–5.0]) 的响应明显更大；p  = .022) 和 CON (1.0 [1.0–2.0]; p  < .0005)，与 CON ( p  < .0005)相比为 LOW 。薄荷风味强度的评分与清凉感的趋势相同，而总体体验评分 HIGH (2.0 [1.0–3.0]) 与 LOW (4.0 [2.0–4.0]; p  = .001) 和 CON ( 4.0 [3.0–4.0]；p  < .0005)。添加 0.1-0.5% 薄荷醇的能量凝胶为运动员在运动期间摄入时具有剂量反应的清凉感。建议使用 0.1% 的浓度以最大限度地提高凝胶的整体体验。