Guides & Insight — nitric oxide

Yes You’ve Read It Correctly! If you’re using nitrate supplements to increase your nitric oxide levels on race day, using antibacterial mouthwash can have a detrimental effect on nitric oxide production! Recap of the Nitrate-Nitrite-Nitric Oxide Pathway When ingested, nitrate circulates in blood plasma whilst approximately 25% is concentrated in saliva after being taken up by the salivary glands (Spiegelhalder et al., 1976). Anaerobic bacteria on the tongue is then responsible for the reduction of nitrate into nitrite (Govoni et al., 2008). Once swallowed, some of the nitrite is reduced to form nitric oxide in the acidic conditions of the stomach, whilst...

Let's Go Back In Time It was approximately 8 years ago that I first witnessed the use of nitrate supplements within the Action Sports industry. I remember watching Hard Enduro legend Jonny Walker drink two beetroot based shots on a morning before his race later that day. So what was the reasoning behind this surprising nutritional strategy? After talking with Jonny himself, his reasoning behind the use of nitrate supplementation strategies quickly became apparent – enhanced endurance performance and increased blood flow, helping to reduce the symptoms of ‘arm pump’ when riding his motorcycle. I began to question why this...