Exploring the mechanisms by which nitrate supplementation improves skeletal muscle contractile function: one fibre at a time.

Abstract

[Extract] The beneficial role of dietary nitrate (NO3−) supplementation on aspects of health and exercise performance via the nitrate‐nitrite‐nitric oxide pathway has received a great deal of attention. A significant and growing body of literature highlights the potential beneficial effects of NO3− supplementation through enhanced exercise economy and tolerance, and skeletal muscle contractile function. However, the underlying mechanism(s) for these beneficial effects has yet to be fully elucidated. Furthermore, to date there has been a lack of reproducibility and consistency in the findings regarding potential mechanisms.