We tested the influence of caffeine (CAF) ingestion on the salivary immunoglobulin A (s-IgA) of volleyball's athletes. In a cross-over and double blind way, nine male volleyball players performed two training sessions within 15 days interval when ingested either CAF (6 mg/kg b.w.) or placebo (PLA) one hour before. The levels of s-IgA were measured at rest and after exercise. The results showed that the levels of s-IgA at rest were not statistically different (P>0.05) from those after exercise when athletes ingested either CAF (8.54 ± 4.03 mg/dL and 7.45 ± 4.72 mg/dL, respectively) or PLA (6.88 ± 3.17 mg/dL and 9.76 ± 5.81 mg/dL, respectively). It is concluded that caffeine ingestion did not affect the s-IgA response during the training session performed by the athletes.
Exercise; salivary immunoglobulin A; volleyball; caffeine
