A new study reveals that consuming dietary nitrates before exercise can do this improve the force produced by certain muscles. In that sense, the juice of a vegetable appears as an ideal option to improve sports performance and overall health.
Plus, as a bonus, they found that drinking it can optimize performance without running into the problems increasingly associated with nitrates in meats, deli meats, cheeses, and bacon or ham.
The study published in the journal physiological act, was made by researchers of the University of Exeter in the UKtogether with colleagues from University of Queensland, AustraliaheliumNational Institutes of Health (NIH) of the United States.
The study found that during exercise, participants experienced a 7% increase in muscle torque or strengthcompared to those who consumed the placebo.
How did the study on nitrates and muscle mass go
Ten healthy male volunteers were enrolled to participate in the study. Have consumed a suspension of potassium nitrate or, as a control condition, a liquid containing a potassium chloride placeboreveals Medical News Today.
Therefore, the professionals performed muscle biopsies on the participants four times: before ingestion, 1 hour after, 3 hours after and after the participants had performed 60 contractions maximal knee extensors.
Compared with those who ate the placebo, the people who ate the nitrate solution had high levels of nitrates in the quadriceps, more specifically THE vastus lateralis Trusted source of the leg.
The increase persisted for several hours after nitrate consumption, although the conservative results are inconclusive.
What are nitrates and nitrites
The study also looked at how nitrates might have improved performance.
THE Nitrates are natural chemical compounds which can be beneficial to health, because they promote the production of nitric oxide that the body needs.
He Nitric oxide plays a role in the regulation of blood pressure, cardiovascular health, the production of mitochondria, the so-called power plants of the cell, calcium transport, reduction of oxidative stress and skeletal muscle repair, he says, among other things Men’s health.
And what vegetable are we talking about in this case. It’s about him beetroot juice, which contains nitrates and can lower blood pressure and improve exercise performance, according to the study. They also abound celery and lettuce.
Nitrates can they degrade on contact with saliva to form nitrites. These are similar, albeit slightly more active and stable compounds.
How nitrates affect muscle strength
“We show for the first time that nitrate levels in muscles before exercise correlate with the amount of force muscles can produce,” said study author Andrew M. Jones, professor of physiology at the University of Exeter .
Jones hypothesized that “muscle appears to use nitrate to enhance its ability to contract, we believe that since convert nitrate to nitric oxide which, in turn, affects the contractile apparatus”.
For his part, Paul Arciero, a professor in the Department of Human Physiological Sciences at Skidmore College in Sarasota, New York, who was not involved in the study, proposes a different theory.
“It’s dietary nitrate, not nitric oxide, that shows these enhanced effects on muscle performance,” he says.
He explains: “It specifically targets fast-twitch muscle fibers, possibly increasing the release of calcium, which is necessary to generate maximum muscle force.”
This would be useful for athletes who need to accelerate quickly from a starting position, he suggested.
Beetroot juice can improve physical performance
Dr. Arciero has previously studied the value of beets in enhancing physical performance.
“Most scientific findings suggest that the consumption of dietary nitrates and, in many cases, beetroot juice 60 to 90 minutes before exerciseare effective nutritional strategies to improve physical performance.
“Beetroot juice may promote sustained endurance during exercise, and current study findings now add that it also supports high-intensity muscle force production.”
This study provides compelling new evidence consider dietary nitrate intake to improve peak torque production, particularly from the quadriceps muscles.
Scientists now await further research with a more gender- and age-balanced group of participants to see how it affects women and the elderly.
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.