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Dietary nitrate ingested with and without pomegranate supplementation does not improve resistance exercise
Rachel Tan1, Katherine M Price1, Lauren E Wideen1
1Department of Sports Medicine, Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA, United States.
Frontiers in Nutrition
|July 24, 2023
Summary
Combining beetroot juice (BR) with pomegranate powder (POM) did not enhance, and may slightly impair, explosive exercise performance compared to BR alone. Beetroot juice supplementation alone also showed limited benefits for resistance exercise.
Area of Science:
- Sports Science
- Nutritional Biochemistry
- Exercise Physiology
Background:
- Dietary nitrate (NO3-) is known to enhance exercise performance.
- Beetroot juice (BR) is a rich source of nitrate.
- Pomegranate (POM) contains antioxidants and polyphenols, but its effect on exercise performance with nitrate is less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the combined effects of nitrate-rich beetroot juice (BR) and pomegranate powder (POM) on neuromuscular performance.
- To compare the effects of BR alone versus BR + POM supplementation.
- To assess the impact on vertical jumps, explosive push-ups, and back squats.
Main Methods:
- A double-blind, randomized, crossover study with 15 recreationally active males.
- Three conditions: placebo (PL), beetroot juice (BR), and beetroot juice + pomegranate powder (BR + POM).
- Measurements included plasma nitrate/nitrite levels and performance in countermovement jumps, kneeling push-ups, and back squats.
Main Results:
- Plasma nitrate and nitrite levels increased significantly with BR and BR + POM compared to placebo.
- Peak power in countermovement jumps was 3% higher with BR compared to BR + POM, but not significantly different from placebo.
- No significant differences in performance were observed for explosive kneeling push-ups or back squats across conditions.
Conclusions:
- Supplementing with BR alone or combined with POM has limited ergogenic potential for resistance exercise.
- Combining BR with POM may compromise aspects of resistance exercise performance compared to BR alone.
- Nitrate supplementation shows potential for modulating explosive exercise performance, but the addition of POM requires caution.
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