Influence of Equimolar Doses of Beetroot Juice and Sodium Nitrate on Time Trial Performance in Handcycling

• Published in: Nutrients Vol. 11; no. 7; p. 1642
• Main Authors: Flueck, Joelle Leonie, Gallo, Alessandro, Moelijker, Nynke, Bogdanov, Nikolay, Bogdanova, Anna, Perret, Claudio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 18.07.2019; MDPI
• Subjects: Adult; Beta vulgaris - chemistry; Blood Pressure; Dietary Supplements; Fruit and Vegetable Juices; Heart Rate; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Nitrates - administration & dosage; Oxygen - metabolism; Paralympic; Plant Roots - chemistry; Spinal Cord Injuries; sports nutrition; supplementation; supplementation; Paralympic; sports nutrition
• ISSN: 2072-6643; 2072-6643
• DOI: 10.3390/nu11071642

This study aimed to investigate the influence of a single dose of either beetroot juice (BR) or sodium nitrate (NIT) on performance in a 10 km handcycling time trial (TT) in able-bodied individuals and paracyclists. In total, 14 able-bodied individuals [mean ± SD; age: 28 ± 7 years, height: 183 ± 5 cm, body mass (BM): 82 ± 9 kg, peak oxygen consumption (VO ): 33.9 ± 4.2 mL/min/kg] and eight paracyclists (age: 40 ± 11 years, height: 176 ± 9cm, BM: 65 ± 9 kg, VO : 38.6 ± 10.5 mL/min/kg) participated in the study. All participants had to perform three TT on different days, receiving either 6 mmol nitrate as BR or NIT or water as a placebo. Time-to-complete the TT, power output (PO), as well as oxygen uptake (VO ) were measured. No significant differences in time-to-complete the TT were found between the three interventions in able-bodied individuals ( = 0.80) or in paracyclists ( = 0.61). Furthermore, VO was not significantly changed after the ingestion of BR or NIT in either group ( < 0.05). The PO to VO ratio was significantly higher in some kilometers of the TT in able-bodied individuals ( < 0.05). The ingestion of BR or NIT did not increase handcycling performance in able-bodied individuals or in paracyclists.