Unlocking Muscle Power: Nitric Oxide’s Role in Exercise Performance
Nitric oxide (NO), a vital signaling molecule, plays a multifaceted role in exercise physiology. This molecule influences muscle function, energy production within cells, and the body’s redox balance. There are two pathways that generate NO, the NOS-dependent pathway (using NOS enzymes) and the NOS-independent pathway (from dietary nitrate). Both are stimulated by exercise. NO’s effects on muscle are complex, with both positive and negative effects on force production, potentially impacting exercise performance. Nitrate supplementation, which aims to increase NO levels, shows mixed results on endurance and resistance exercise. In resistance exercise, a meta-analysis revealed significant improvements in repetitions to failure, but the effects on power output and contraction velocity were inconsistent. These varying findings suggest that additional research is needed to understand factors influencing the effects of nitrate supplementation, such as training status, age, sex, and specific supplementation protocols.
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2024.1504978/full
