Zeitschrift für ernährungswissenschaftliche Forschung

Abstrakt

Nitric Oxide/Arginine: Is Cardiovascular Modulation Effects in Athletes Supplementation?

Rosinha IM, Teixeira VH and Costa OP

Dietary nitrates and L-Arginine have been increasingly recognized to play a promising role as sport dietary supplementation, getting more and more popular as ergogenic aids, namely, substances used with regard to performance enhancement. Inorganic nitrate (NO3-) is abundant in numerous foodstuffs and is convertible into nitrite (NO2-) following ingestion. Nitrite, in turn, can be metabolized into nitric oxide (NO), one of the most widespread signaling molecules, taking part in virtually every cellular and organic functions, most notably blood flow regulation and vasodilation, mitochondrial respiration, platelet function and metabolic homeostasis. L-Arginine is a conditionally essential amino acid that has been target of considerable attention as the main precursor of NO, revealing other promising potential effects on growth hormone (GH) release, promotion of creatine synthesis, all leading to possible exercise tolerance and muscle efficiency benefits, impairment of O2 uptake (cost of submaximal exercise) and rise in workout duration before fatigue. Accordingly, the purpose of this review is to provide an overview on the accumulating evidence concerning not only the importance of NO and its associated precursors in exercise and sports performance, but also the inherent cardiovascular modulation during workout, as well as ascertain the possible benefits and hazards, never despising the crucial role ascribed to sports nutrition professionals.