2021, Article / Letter to editor (European Journal of Sport Science, vol. 21, iss. 6, (2021), pp. 871-878)Purpose: Dietary nitrate has been shown to enhance muscle contractile function and has, therefore, been linked to increased muscle power and sprint exercise performance. However, the impact of dietary nitrate supplementation on maximal strength, performance and muscular endurance remains to be established. Methods: Fifteen recreationally active males (25 ±4 y, BMI 24 ±3 kg/m(2)) participated in a randomized double-blinded cross-over study comprising two 6-d supplementation periods; 140 mL/d nitrate-rich (BR; 985 mg/d) and nitrate-depleted (PLA; 0.37 mg/d) beetroot juice. Three hours following the last supplement, we assessed countermovement jump (CMJ) performance, maximal strength and power of the upper leg by voluntary isometric (30° and 60° angle) and isokinetic contractions (60, 120, 180 and 300°•s(-1)), and muscular endurance (total workload) by 30 reciprocal isokinetic voluntary contractions at 180°•s(-1). Results: Despite differences in plasma nitrate (BR: 879 ±239 vs. PLA: 33 ±13 μmol/L, Pn<n0.001) and nitrite (BR: 463 ±217 vs. PLA: 176 ±50 nmol/L, Pn<n0.001) concentrations prior to exercise testing, CMJ height (BR: 39.3 ±6.3 vs. PLA: 39.6 ±6.3 cm; Pn=n0.39) and muscular endurance (BR: 3.93 ±0.69 vs. PLA: 3.90 ±0.66 kJ; Pn=n0.74) were not different between treatments. In line, isometric strength (Pn>n0.50 for both angles) and isokinetic knee extension power (Pn>n0.33 for all velocities) did not differ between treatments. Isokinetic knee flexion power was significantly higher following BR compared with PLA ingestion at 60°•s(-1) (Pn=n0.001), but not at 120°•s(-1) (Pn=n0.24), 180°•s(-1) (Pn=n0.066), and 300°•s(-1) (Pn=n0.36). Conclusion: Nitrate supplementation does not improve maximal strength, countermovement jump performance and muscular endurance in healthy, active males.
2017, Article / Letter to editor (International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, vol. 27, iss. 2, (2017), pp. 148-157)Although beetroot juice, as a nitrate carrier, is a popular ergogenic supplement among athletes, nitrate is consumed through the regular diet as well. We aimed to assess the habitual dietary nitrate intake and identify the main contributing food sources in a large group of highly trained athletes. Dutch highly trained athletes (226 women and 327 men) completed 2-4 web-based 24-hr dietary recalls and questionnaires within a 2- to 4-week period. The nitrate content of food products and food groups was determined systematically based on values found in regulatory reports and scientific literature. These were then used to calculate each athlete's dietary nitrate intake from the web-based recalls. The median[IQR] habitual nitrate intake was 106[75-170] mg/d (range 19-525 mg/d). Nitrate intake correlated with energy intake (ρ = 0.28, p < .001), and strongly correlated with vegetable intake (ρ = 0.78, p < .001). In accordance, most of the dietary nitrate was consumed through vegetables, potatoes and fruit, accounting for 74% of total nitrate intake, with lettuce and spinach contributing most. When corrected for energy intake, nitrate intake was substantially higher in female vs male athletes (12.8[9.2-20.0] vs 9.4[6.2-13.8] mg/MJ; p < .001). This difference was attributed to the higher vegetable intake in female vs male athletes (150[88-236] vs 114[61-183] g/d; p < .001). In conclusion, median daily intake of dietary nitrate in highly trained athletes was 106 mg, with large interindividual variation. Dietary nitrate intake was strongly associated with the intake of vegetables. Increasing the intake of nitrate-rich vegetables in the diet might serve as an alternative strategy for nitrate supplementation.
2016, Article / Letter to editor (American Journal of Physiology : Endocrinology and Metabolism, vol. 310, iss. 2, (2016), pp. E137-47)Disuse leads to rapid loss of skeletal muscle mass and function. It has been hypothesized that short successive periods of muscle disuse throughout the lifespan play an important role in the development of sarcopenia. The physiological mechanisms underlying short-term muscle disuse atrophy remain to be elucidated. We assessed the impact of 5 days of muscle disuse on postabsorptive and postprandial myofibrillar protein synthesis rates in humans. Twelve healthy young (22 ± 1 yr) men underwent a 5-day period of one-legged knee immobilization (full leg cast). Quadriceps cross-sectional area (CSA) of both legs was assessed before and after immobilization. Continuous infusions of l-[ring-(2)H5]phenylalanine and l-[1-(13)C]leucine were combined with the ingestion of a 25-g bolus of intrinsically l-[1-(13)C]phenylalanine- and l-[1-(13)C]leucine-labeled dietary protein to assess myofibrillar muscle protein fractional synthetic rates in the immobilized and nonimmobilized control leg. Immobilization led to a 3.9 ± 0.6% decrease in quadriceps muscle CSA of the immobilized leg. Based on the l-[ring-(2)H5]phenylalanine tracer, immobilization reduced postabsorptive myofibrillar protein synthesis rates by 41 ± 13% (0.015 ± 0.002 vs. 0.032 ± 0.005%/h, P < 0.01) and postprandial myofibrillar protein synthesis rates by 53 ± 4% (0.020 ± 0.002 vs. 0.044 ± 0.003%/h, P < 0.01). Comparable results were found using the l-[1-(13)C]leucine tracer. Following protein ingestion, myofibrillar protein bound l-[1-(13)C]phenylalanine enrichments were 53 ± 18% lower in the immobilized compared with the control leg (0.007 ± 0.002 and 0.015 ± 0.002 mole% excess, respectively, P < 0.05). We conclude that 5 days of muscle disuse substantially lowers postabsorptive myofibrillar protein synthesis rates and induces anabolic resistance to protein ingestion.