Dietary nitrate supplementation increases acute mountain sickness severity and sense of effort during hypoxic exercise

In conclusion, dietary nitrate increases AMS and sense of effort during exercise, particularly in those who experience AMS. Dietary nitrate is therefore not recommended as an AMS prophylactic or ergogenic aid in nonacclimatized individuals at altitude.
NEW & NOTEWORTHY This is the first study to identify that the popular dietary nitrate supplement (beetroot) does not reduce acute mountain sickness (AMS) or improve exercise performance during 6-h hypoxia. The consumption of nitrate in those susceptible to AMS exacerbates AMS symptoms (headache) and sense of effort and raises oxygen cost, ventilation, and blood pressure during walking exercise in 6-h hypoxia. These data question the suitability of nitrate supplementation during altitude travel in nonacclimatized people.

Source: Journal of Applied Physiology - October 26, 2017 Category: Physiology Authors: Rossetti, G. M. K., Macdonald, J. H., Wylie, L. J., Little, S. J., Newton, V., Wood, B., Hawkins, K. A., Beddoe, R., Davies, H. E., Oliver, S. J. Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research