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Updated: Mar 6, 2026

Preparation of Rat Skeletal Muscle Homogenates for Nitrate and Nitrite Measurements
Published on: July 29, 2021
Dietary nitrate supplementation enhances short but not longer duration running time-trial performance
Oliver Michael Shannon1, Matthew John Barlow2, Lauren Duckworth2
1Research Institute for Sport, Physical Activity, and Leisure, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, LS163QS, UK. O.Shannon@LeedsBeckett.ac.uk.
Purpose:
This study evaluated the effects of dietary nitrate (NO3-) supplementation on physiological functioning and exercise performance in trained runners/triathletes conducting short and longer-distance treadmill running time-trials (TT).
Method:
Eight trained male runners or triathletes completed four exercise performance tests comprising a 10 min warm up followed by either a 1500 or 10,000 m treadmill TT. Exercise performance tests were preceded 3 h before the exercise by supplementation with either 140 ml concentrated nitrate-rich (~12.5 mmol nitrate) (BRJ) or nitrate-deplete (~0.01 mmol nitrate) (PLA) beetroot juice.
Results:
BRJ supplementation significantly elevated plasma [NO2-] (P < 0.05). Resting blood pressure and exercise [Formula: see text] were not significantly different between BRJ and PLA (P > 0.05). However, post-exercise blood [lactate] was significantly greater in BRJ following the 1500 m TT (6.6 ± 1.2 vs. 6.1 ± 1.5 mM; P < 0.05), but not significantly different between conditions in the 10,000 m TT (P > 0.05). Performance in the 1500 m TT was significantly faster in BRJ vs. PLA (319.6 ± 36.2 vs. 325.7 ± 38.8 s; P < 0.05). Conversely, there was no significant difference in 10,000 m TT performance between conditions (2643.1 ± 324. 1 vs. 2649.9 ± 319.8 s, P > 0.05).
Conclusion:
Acute BRJ supplementation significantly enhanced 1500 m, but not 10,000 m TT performance. These findings suggest that BRJ might be ergogenic during shorter distance TTs which allow for a high work rate, but not during longer distance TTs, completed at a lower work rate.
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