European Journal of Sport Science · Mar 13, 2018

Potential benefits of dietary nitrate ingestion in healthy and clinical populations: A brief review

By McDonagh STJ, Wylie LJ, Thompson C et al.

This article provides an overview of the current literature relating to the efficacy of dietary nitrate (NO₃⁻) ingestion in altering aspects of cardiovascular and metabolic health and exercise capacity in healthy and diseased individuals. The consumption of NO₃⁻-rich vegetables, such as spinach and beetroot, have been variously shown to promote nitric oxide bioavailability, reduce systemic blood pressure, enhance tissue blood flow, modulate muscle O₂ utilisation and improve exercise tolerance both in normoxia and in hypoxia, as is commonly observed in a number of disease states. NO₃⁻ ingestion may, therefore, act as a natural means for augmenting performance and attenuating complications associated with limited O₂ availability or transport, hypertension and the metabolic syndrome. Recent studies indicate that dietary NO₃⁻ might also augment intrinsic skeletal muscle contractility and improve the speed and power of muscle contraction. Moreover, several investigations suggest that NO₃⁻ supplementation may improve aspects of cognitive performance both at rest and during exercise. Collectively, these observations position NO₃⁻ as more than a putative ergogenic aid and suggest that increasing natural dietary NO₃⁻ intake may act as a prophylactic in countering the predations of senescence and certain cardiovascular-metabolic diseases.

doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2018.1445298PubMed 29529987Interventions