ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Sport and Exercise Nutrition
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1648796
This article is part of the Research TopicNutraceuticals in SportsView all articles
Dietary Tribulus Terrestris as a Functional Food Combined with Blood Flow Restriction to Enhance the Jump Performance of Basketball Athletes: A Randomized Crossover Study
Provisionally accepted
- 1Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China
- 2Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- 3Peking University, Beijing, China
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Introduction: Tribulus terrestris (TT), a food-derived functional ingredient, may influence neuromuscular function via its bioactive compounds, but its acute effects on BFR-induced PAP and performance remain unknown. This study examined its short-term effects on neuromuscular performance after BFR-primed PAP in elite male basketball athletes (n = 20). Methods: Participants completed two sessions involving BFR-augmented plyometric protocols with either TT or placebo. CMJ performance was assessed at 0, 4-, 8-, 12-, and 16-minutes post-activation, measuring jump height (H(v)), peak/relative peak power (PP/RPP), maximum/relative force (MCF/MRF), peak rate of force development (PRFD), and modified reactive strength index (RSImod). Paired-sample t-tests (p < 0.05) were used for analysis. Results: In the placebo condition, H(v) increased at 4 and 8 min (p < 0.05), with PP and RPP peaking at 8 min (p < 0.05). TT supplementation enhanced early-phase force dynamics, elevating MCF (p = 0.057, 0 min; p < 0.01, 4 min) and PRFD (p = 0.002, 4 min), but attenuated H(v) (p < 0.001, 16 min), PP (p < 0.001), and RPP (p < 0.001) during later phases. Between-group comparisons revealed superior power metrics in the placebo group at 8–16 min (H(v): p = 0.001–0.017; RPP: p = 0.004–0.001), while TT transiently improved PRFD (p = 0.049, 0 min) and RSImod (p = 0.017, 4min; p= 0.019, 16min). Conclusion: Acute intake of TT modulates early-phase force responses but may impair sustained power output during PAP. Targeted timing and delivery formats should be considered in future food-first performance strategies.
Keywords: Tribulus terrestris, Blood flow restriction, Post-activation potentiation, Elite basketball players, performance
Received: 17 Jun 2025; Accepted: 30 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Kong, Li, Liu, Xie, Li and Liang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Tianhe Li, Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China
Yapu Liang, Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China
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