Learn more about Nitrate
3 min read
Nitrate is thus the active substance in these shots. Nitrate is found in varying amounts in most vegetables. However, the highest amounts are found in beetroots, rhubarb, and leafy greens such as arugula and spinach.
Nitrate is first converted to nitrite in the mouth and finally broken down to the bioactive molecule nitric oxide (NO). Nitric oxide signals the smooth muscle in your blood vessels to relax. The effect is that the blood vessels become less stiff and dilate, allowing blood flow to working muscles to increase. It is also here that the blood pressure-lowering effect is noticeable, whether you are an athlete or not. Beetroot juice thus also appears to be positive for heart and vascular health.
What does science say?
The effects of nitrate include reduced oxygen consumption at a given workload and increased performance. This effect has mainly been tested in time trials on treadmills and bicycles. Most studies note an effect with an intake of 6-8mmol of nitrate, but well-trained athletes with an oxygen uptake of +60ml/kg/min seem to require higher doses.
In athletes, it has also been found that our mitochondria can operate up to 20% more efficiently. If you're not fully informed about mitochondria, they can be described as the cell's power plants where energy is extracted. In a study from Karolinska Institute, a 3-day loading phase was tested where participants consumed 0.1mmol of nitrate per kilogram of body weight per day (totaling 7.5mmol for a 75kg athlete, which corresponds to about 7.5dl of beetroot juice). The results from the study showed that the mitochondria could generate as much energy as before but required 5% less oxygen. Thus, there is less energy waste at the cellular level. The best effect is seen in recreational and moderately trained cyclists. There, the results show an increase of 10-20% in time to exhaustion and 5-10% less oxygen consumption at a given workload during both low and high-intensity performances. Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17635415
Nitrate in practice
Dosage: Most studies note an effect with an intake of 6-8mmol, but well-trained athletes with an oxygen uptake of +60ml/kg/min seem to require higher doses acutely and/or to buffer with intake over 3 days prior to competition. Studies measuring performance-enhancing effects on these well-trained individuals have used 12.5-19.5mmol as an acute intake or 3-7 days of buffering. This is not unreasonable, as well-trained individuals already have a "better" developed network of blood vessels with dilated vessels and good oxygen transport. This is one of the many positive effects of actually training. If a well-trained person is to gain additional effect, even more nitric oxide is needed to signal to dilate the blood vessels. And yes, this means that a higher dose of nitrate needs to be consumed to be converted to nitric oxide and provide vasodilatory and performance-enhancing effects.
A half-liter of beetroot juice contains around 5-8mmol of nitrate, where the difference between 5-8 is likely due to variations in growing conditions, weather, transport, harvest time, etc. Our own U Nitrate - Beetroot Shot contains 500mg of nitrate (8 mmol). We have chosen to increase the amount of nitrate in U Nitrate from the 400mg that many others offer, to 500mg (+25%). The reason is quite simple: this means that for the majority of athletes, one shot is sufficient to achieve the vasodilatory effect observed in studies on athletes. If you have a VO2max of 60ml/kg/min or lower, 500mg (8mmol) is more than adequate. If you have a higher oxygen uptake, you will need 2 shots, or alternatively buffer (see usage instructions).
Timing: Maximum effect with the highest levels in blood plasma occurs 2.5-3 hours after intake. After that, you have a half-life of 5 hours, so the effect remains, albeit decreasing over the next 24 hours. Avoid spitting during the period from intake to the start of the activity as this interrupts the vasodilatory effect.
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