The effect of beetroot juice supplementation on repeat-sprint performance in hypoxia

Abstract

This investigation assessed the effect of dietary nitrate (NO3−) supplementation, in the form of beetroot juice (BR), on repeat-sprint performance in normoxia and normobaric hypoxia. 12 male team-sport athletes (age 22.3 ± 2.6 y, VO2peak 53.1 ± 8.7 mL.kg−1.min−1) completed three exercise trials involving a 10 min submaximal warm-up and 4 sets of cycling repeat-sprint efforts (RSE; 9 × 4 s) at sea level (CON), or at 3000 m simulated altitude following acute supplementation (140 mL) with BR (HYPBR; 13 mmol NO3−) or NO3–depleted BR placebo (HYPPLA). Peak (PPO) and mean (MPO) power output, plus work decrement were recorded during the RSE task, while oxygen consumption (VO2) was measured during the warm-up. There were no significant differences observed between HYPBR and HYPPLA for PPO or MPO; however, work decrement was reduced in the first RSE set in HYPBR compared with HYPPLA. There was a moderate effect for VO2 to be lower following BR at the end of the 10 min warm-up (ES = 0.50 ± 0.51). Dietary NO3− may not improve repeat-sprint performance in hypoxia but may reduce VO2 during submaximal exercise. Therefore, BR supplementation may be more effective for performance improvement during predominantly aerobic exercise.