Dietary Nitrate Could Help You Train and Play Better.

Dietary nitrate is a compound found in many foods, predominately beets, spinach and arugula. It has been shown to have a number of beneficial effects on human health, including improved blood flow, reduced blood pressure, and increased exercise performance. In recent years, there has been a growing body of research on the effects of dietary nitrate on muscle performance. While still young in the research world, the potential is showing to be there.

How Does Dietary Nitrate Work?

Dietary nitrate is converted to nitric oxide (NO) in the body. NO is a signaling molecule that has a number of beneficial effects on the body, including improved blood flow, reduced blood pressure, and increased exercise performance.

NO works by widening blood vessels, which increases blood flow to the muscles. This allows the muscles to get more oxygen and nutrients, which can help to improve performance. Not to be confused with the NOS from The Fast and the Furious movies but can be viewed with similar effects boosting performance!

Anaerobic Exercise Performance

Anaerobic exercise is the high intensity and relatively short duration type activities. This type of activity requires oxygen at a quicker rate than we can provide through breathing. Running out of oxygen is tough to overcome! Anaerobic types of events are shorter in duration due to that. 

Studies have shown that nitrate supplementation can improve anaerobic exercise performance by increasing the amount of oxygen that is delivered to the muscles. This can help athletes to perform at a higher level for a longer period of time.

For example, one study found that nitrate supplementation improved the performance of cyclists in a 4-minute time trial. The cyclists who supplemented with nitrate were able to ride faster and for a longer period of time than the cyclists who did not supplement.

Aerobic Exercise Performance

Aerobic exercise is the lower intensity and generally longer duration type activities. This type of activity still requires oxygen like all activity does but not as much or as quickly. We can generally keep up with the oxygen demand by breathing which is what allows us to walk longer than we can sprint.

Dietary nitrate supplementation can improve aerobic exercise performance by increasing the efficiency of the mitochondria. Mitochondria are the organelles in cells that use that oxygen to produce energy.

Aerobic performance improvements haven’t been as widely found compared to anaerobic events. That doesn’t mean the potential isn’t still there and worth exploring though.

Safety and Sources of Dietary Nitrate

Nitrates are something that tends to be viewed in a negative light when hearing the word. That’s because the first reference of it tends to be the nitrates used to preserve deli/processed meats such as bacon. Dietary nitrates found in natural foods though are different and haven’t been linked to the negatives that preservatives have been. Good food sources to acquire the good nitrates from are beets, spinach, and arugula. You can also get dietary nitrate from supplements, such as beet juice powder. That being said, I tend to recommend food first and beet supplement dosages tend to vary a lot. So for consistency sake, food can be the best option.

How To Apply This Information

If you are an athlete, there are a few things you can do to increase your intake of dietary nitrate:

• Eat more beets, spinach, and arugula.
• Drink beet juice.
• Take a nitrate/beetroot supplement (recommend food over supplement)

It is important to note that dietary nitrate is not a magic bullet. It will not make you an overnight champion. However, it can help you to improve your performance and reach your athletic goals.

Here are some specific tips for how to apply this information to your own training:

• If you are training for an anaerobic event, such as a sprint or weightlifting competition, you may want to consume beets or beet juice 30-60 minutes before your workout.
• If you are training for an aerobic event, such as a marathon or long-distance swim, you may want to consume nitrate rich foods or beet juice throughout the day leading up to your workout.
• Dietary nitrates don’t appear to be stored in the body so consuming them the day of and relatively close to your event appears to be the best strategy.
• Always try new foods around training before trying on game days!

Conclusion

Dietary nitrate is a compound that has a number of beneficial effects on human health, including improved blood flow, reduced blood pressure, and increased exercise performance. Studies have shown that nitrate supplementation can improve both anaerobic and aerobic exercise performance. If you are looking to improve your athletic performance, you may want to consider adding dietary nitrate to your diet.

Study referenced: click here