Abstract
Nitrate (NO3 -) supplementation resulting in higher plasma nitrite (NO2 -) is reported to lower resting mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) and oxygen uptake (VO2) during submaximal exercise in non-athletic populations, whereas effects in general are absent in endurance-trained individuals. To test whether physiologic effects of (NO3 -) supplementation depend on local muscular training status or cardiovascular fitness, male endurance-trained cyclists (CYC, n=9, VO2-max: 64±3 mL/min/kg; mean±SD) and recreational active subjects serving as a control group (CON, n=8, 46±3 mL/min/kg), acutely consumed nitrate-rich beetroot juice (NO3 -) ~9 mmol) (NIT) or placebo (PLA) with assessment of resting MAP and energy expenditure during moderate intensity (~50% VO2-max) and incremental leg cycling (LEG-ex) and arm-cranking exercise (ARM-ex). NIT increased (P<.001) resting plasma by ~1200% relative to PLA. Plasma (NO3 -) increased ~25% (P<.01) with a significant change only in CYC. LEG-ex VO2 (~2.60 L/min), ARM-ex VO2 (~1.14 L/min), and resting MAP (~87 mm Hg) remained unchanged for CYC, and similarly for CON, no changes were observed for LEG-ex VO2 (~2.03 L/min), ARM-ex VO2 (~1.06 L/min), or resting MAP (~85 mm Hg). VO2-max was not affected by supplementation, but incremental test peak power was higher (P<.05) in LEG-ex for CYC in NIT relative to PLA (418±47 vs 407±46 W). In both CYC and CON, high initial baseline values and small increases in plasma NO2 - after NIT may have lowered the effect of the intervention implying that muscular and cardiovascular training status is likely not the only factors that influence the physiologic effects of (NO3 -) supplementation.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports |
Volume | 27 |
Issue number | 12 |
Pages (from-to) | 1616-1626 |
Number of pages | 11 |
ISSN | 0905-7188 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Dec 2017 |
Keywords
- Cycling economy
- VO2 max
- NO bioavailability
- Blood pressure