EXERCISE

This article provides an overview of the current literature relating to the efficacy of dietary nitrate (NO) ingestion in altering aspects of cardiovascular and metabolic health and exercise capacity in healthy and diseased individuals. The consumption of NO-rich vegetables, such as spinach and beetroot, have been variously shown to promote nitric oxide bioavailability, reduce systemic blood pressure, enhance tissue blood flow, modulate muscle Outilisation and improve exercise tolerance both in normoxia and in hypoxia, as is commonly observed in a number of disease states. NOingestion may, therefore, act as a natural means for augmenting performance and attenuating complications associated with limited Oavailability or transport, hypertension and the metabolic syndrome. Recent studies indicate that dietary NOmight also augment intrinsic skeletal muscle contractility and improve the speed and power of muscle contraction. Moreover, several investigations suggest that NOsupplementation may improve aspects of cognitive performance both at rest and during exercise. Collectively, these observations position NOas more than a putative ergogenic aid and suggest that increasing natural dietary NOintake may act as a prophylactic in countering the predations of senescence and certain cardiovascular-metabolic diseases.