Acute Beetroot Juice Supplementation Enhances Intermittent Running Performance but Does Not Reduce Oxygen Cost of Exercise among Recreational Adults

Abstract

Nitrate (NO3 ) supplementation has been reported to enhance intermittent exercise performance; however, its impact on oxygen (O2) cost during intermittent running exercise is unclear. The aim of this study was to assess if acute NO3 supplementation would elicit performance benefits in recreationally active individuals during the Yo–Yo intermittent recovery level 1 (Yo-Yo IR1) test, with its potential benefit on O2 consumption (VO2), in a double-blind, randomized, crossover study, 12 recreational males consumed NO3 -rich (NIT; ~12.8 mmol), and NO3 -depleted (PLA; 0.04 mmol) concentrated beetroot juice 3 h before completing the Yo-Yo IR1 test. VO2 was measured at 160, 280 and 440 m (sub-maximal) and when the test was terminated (peak). Performance in the Yo–Yo IR1 was greater with NIT (990 442.25 m) compared to PLA (870 357.4 m, p = 0.007). The VO2 was not significantly different at 160 m (1.92 0.99 vs. 2.1 0.88 Lmin1), 280 m (2.62 0.94 vs. 2.83 0.94 Lmin1), 440 m (3.26 1.04 vs. 3.46 0.98 Lmin1) and peak (4.71 1.01 vs. 4.92 1.17 Lmin1) between NIT and PLA trials (all p > 0.05). The present study has indicated that acute supplementation of NO3 enhanced intermittent running performance but had no effect on VO2 during the Yo–Yo IR1 test in recreational young adults.