Background/Objective Dietary nitrate ingestion extends endurance capacity, but data supporting endurance time-trial performance are unclear. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the evidence for dietary nitrate supplementation to improve high-intensity endurance time-trial performance over 5-30 min on the premise that nitrate may alleviate peripheral fatigue over shorter durations. Methods A systematic literature search and data extraction was carried out following PRISMA guidelines and the PICOS framework within five databases: PubMed, ProQuest, ScienceDirect, Scopus and SPORT- Discus. Search terms used were: (nitrate OR nitrite OR beetroot) AND (high intensity OR all out) AND (time trial or total work done) AND performance. Results Twenty-four studies were included. Fifteen studies applied an acute supplementation strategy (4.1 mmole15.2 mmol serving on one day), eight chronic supplementation (4.0 mmole13.0 mmol per day over 3e15 days), and one applied both acute and chronic supplementation (8.0 mmol on one day and over 15 days). Standardised mean difference for time-trial ranging from 5 to 30 min showed an overall trivial effect in favour of nitrate (Hedges'g ¼ 0.15, 95% CI -0.00 to 0.31, Z ¼ 1.95, p ¼ 0.05). Subgroup analysis revealed a small, borderline effect in favour of chronic nitrate intervention (Hedges'g ¼ 0.30, 95% CI -0.00 to 0.59, Z ¼ 1.94, p ¼ 0.05), and a non-significant effect for acute nitrate intervention (Hedges'g ¼ 0.10, 95% CI -0.08 to 0.28, Z ¼ 1.11, p ¼ 0.27). Conclusion Chronic nitrate supplementation improves time-trial performance ranging from 5 to 30 min.
© Copyright 2022 Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness. Society of Chinese Scholars on Exercise Physiology and Fitness (SCSEPF). All rights reserved.