SUPPLEMENT SCIENCEInsights
Search

Search Insights

Try choline, nano-curcumin or probiotics.

    Botanical guide · Ingredient reference

    Rhodiola during cycling: perceived effort differed without higher energy expenditure

    A ten-person crossover experiment found changes in effort and exercise-related feelings. It did not find differences in energy expenditure or fuel oxidation.

    Read the evidence ↓

    Supplement Science Insights Editorial Team

    Published September 23, 2026

    What was compared

    Ten men completed two fixed-intensity, 30-minute cycling sessions after rhodiola or placebo. The double-blind crossover design measured perceived effort, mood and respiratory estimates of fuel use. [1]

    Perceived effort was lower at the end of cycling with rhodiola, and some post-exercise feelings favored it. Energy expenditure, carbohydrate oxidation and fat oxidation did not significantly differ. [1]

    Limits of the result

    This small acute experiment does not establish a stimulant mechanism, fat-loss effect or sustained performance improvement. Feeling more vigorous is a different endpoint from consuming more energy. Funding and conflicts were not established from the abstract. [1]

    A hypothetical distinction

    Imagine the same cycling workload feels easier but uses a similar measured amount of energy. That can be a real perceptual difference without demonstrating a higher metabolic rate.

    Evidence summary — Rhodiola during cycling
    DetailInterpretation
    Ten menVery small crossover
    Perceived effortLower at 30 minutes
    Fuel oxidationNo significant difference
    Rhodiola during cycling: perceived effort differed without higher energy expenditure — original article outline diagram
    Original editorial diagram of this article’s sections; no product photograph or clinical finding is depicted.

    Sources for this article

    1. The Effect of Acute Rhodiola rosea Ingestion on Exercise Heart Rate, Substrate Utilisation, Mood State, and Perceptions of Exertion, Arousal, and Pleasure/Displeasure in Active Men - PubMed
      Source consulted: 2026-09-19. This is a reference resource, not a claim that we conducted the studies or tested a product.