Abstract
Nitrate supplementation is an effective, evidence-based dietary strategy for enhancing sports performance. The effects of dietary nitrate seem to be mediated by the ability of oral bacteria to reduce nitrate to nitrite, thus increasing the levels of nitrite in circulation that may be further reduced to nitric oxide in the body. The gut microbiota has been recently implicated in sports performance by improving muscle function through the supply of certain metabolites. In this line, skeletal muscle can also serve as a reservoir of nitrate. Here we review the bacteria of the oral cavity involved in the reduction of nitrate to nitrite and the possible changes induced by nitrite and their effect on gastrointestinal balance and gut microbiota homeostasis. The potential role of gut bacteria in the reduction of nitrate to nitrite and as a supplier of the signaling molecule nitric oxide to the blood circulation and muscles has not been explored in any great detail.
Highlights
Recent studies describing the improvements in skeletal muscle function induced by nitrate supplementation have provided some evidence implicating the oral and gut microbiota as mediators in the underlying mechanisms
There is clinical evidence supporting the view that salivary nitrite is important for protection against gastrointestinal diseases. It has been known for many years that antibiotic treatments that inhibit nitrite-producing bacteria in the mouth increase the susceptibility to gastroenteritis [50], and that microbiota dysbiosis can be rescued by dietary nitrate following antibiotic therapy
We have discussed the oral and gut bacteria involved in the reduction of dietary nitrate to nitrite and its subsequent conversion to nitric oxide (NO), as well as the influence of nitrate on oral and gut microbial populations
Summary
Recent studies describing the improvements in skeletal muscle function induced by nitrate supplementation have provided some evidence implicating the oral and gut microbiota as mediators in the underlying mechanisms. If the oral and gut microbiota are involved in the nitrite-enhancing functions in sports performance, the possibility of modifying the microbiota to increase its nitrate-to-nitrite conversion, and NO signaling, through diet or the use of supplements, opens a new avenue in the field of sports performance. The objective of this narrative review is to assess the evidence for a role of the oral and gut microbiota in the enhanced sports performance mediated by dietary nitrate
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