Performance Supplements That Actually Work: Part 1 of 5
Nitrates
We all know what supplements are. Chances are that you take them daily because you either self-diagnosed yourself as vitamin deficient or were diagnosed by a medical professional. Deficiencies are very real and can cause real changes in your potential as an athlete. For example, Zinc has been shown to aid in tissue repair and recovery and is therefore used as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. In this blog series, we’ll be looking at the top five performance supplements that have been proven to increase performance.
The two-dollar word that has been causing the controversy over supplements—whether it be for performance or for deficiencies—is bioavailability. Bioavailability is defined as the portion of the substance taken (drug or supplement in this case) that is able to have the desired effect on the individual. The question becomes: how much more effective will a regular balanced diet of whole foods be than taking supplements to cover your bases? In today’s blog, will taking supplemental nitrates improve your performance? Read on.
For a long time, nitrates have been a go-to for endurance athletes, specifically cyclists. You might have already guessed what a nitrate includes. If not, it includes Nitrogen! The molecular formula is NO3–and molecular compounds that include that small addition are called nitrates. Now before we dive into more of this, let me give you a bit of backstory. You’ll see a little later why this backstory is important. As you read this, raise your right hand. Take two fingers and feel for your carotid artery. If you don’t know where that is, check your pulse via your neck. What you feel pulsing is your carotid artery. As blood flows through your carotid artery, the inside lining of the artery is home to what is called the endothelium (endo=within, thēlē=nipple, misnomer). Specifically, the cells that come in contact with the flowing blood are called vascular endothelial cells.
Everywhere your blood circulates from the largest artery to the smallest capillaries are lined with endothelial cells. Those cells have a function that saves your life every day. As you begin to exercise, Nitric Oxide (NO) is released, allowing your blood vessels and arteries to dilate (widen). This term is known as vasodilation. If your endothelial cells didn’t want to be nice to you, they wouldn’t release NO and the next time you went out for a run, your blood pressure would sky-rocket and damage your circulatory system beyond repair! Phew. Good thing they’re nice lil’ guys. As NO takes effect, your blood vessels widen allowing more blood to flow to working skeletal muscles. The more blood that flows, the more oxygen those muscles get. You get the idea. As you become a better trained athlete, your body begins to adapt by improving its endothelial function (secretion of NO).
Now that you’ve become and expert, let’s go back to the nitrates! As you ingest supplemental nitrates, the bioavailability of NO is greatly enhanced. You know what that means: more blood to working muscles! Let’s read into this a bit more. More blood to working muscles means: 1. More oxygen to the muscles 2. Reduced energy cost for a given power output 3. Longer high intensity durations than would otherwise be seen. Here are some numbers related to the impact of performance:
- 4%-25% increase in time to exhaustion
- 1%-3% in sport-specific time trial performances lasting fewer than 40min
- 3%-5% increase in high-intensity efforts lasting between 12min and 40min
Now you’ve read this and I tell you, “Go get some nitrates!” You ask, “Where the heck do I find nitrates and how much should I take…oh…and WHEN should I take it?! Geez Noah.”
We’ll make it easy. Beet root juice or powder is ideal. Personally, I hate the taste of the stuff, but there’s no doubt you’ll see and feel thebenefit. As for how much, it depends if you want acute (fast acting/race day) effects, or if you want chronic advantages. Acute effects call for anywhere between 310mg-560mg (some protocols called for 500mL of beet root juice) two to three hours before your event. If you purchase beet root powder, follow the serving size to see how you fare. As for chronic advantages, become a world-class pro so we can talk about marginal gains.