The Effect of Chronic Nitrate Supplementation on Acute Mountain Sickness and Exercise Performance in Hypoxia

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Hypoxia
• Interventions: Dietary Supplement: Beetroot Juice; Dietary Supplement: Placebo

• Registration Number: NCT03101904
• Lead Sponsor: Bangor University

Brief Summary

The study will aim to describe and evaluate the effect of chronic beetroot juice supplementation on acute mountain sickness symptoms and exercise in a hypoxic environment. It is hypothesized that beetroot supplementation will decrease acute mountain sickness and increase exercise performance.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2016-02
• Study First Submitted: 2016-03-10
• Primary Completion: 2017-01-09
• Study Completion: 2017-01-10
• Study First Submitted QC: 2017-03-30
• Study First Posted: 2017-04-05
• Results First Submitted: 2017-05-04
• Status Verified: 2025-02
• Results First Submitted QC: 2025-02-05
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-02-05
• Results First Posted: 2025-02-26
• Last Update Posted: 2025-02-26

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 23

Inclusion Criteria

• Women only: Regular menstrual cycle or post-menopausal

Exclusion Criteria

• Stayed at altitude above 2500m in the last 6 months
• Traveled to altitude above 2500m in the last 2 months
• Unable to give informed consent
• Unstable medical condition.

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: CROSSOVER

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Placebo then Nitrate	Beetroot Juice	Participants will consume a daily Nitrate-depleted beetroot shot for six days. Each shot will consist of 1x70ml nitrate-depleted beetroot Placebo shot (\~0.003mmol of nitrate; Beet It, James White Drinks Ltd, Ipswich, UK). Following a minimum of ten days wash out, participants will then consume a daily beetroot shot for six days. Each shot will consist of: 1x70ml concentrated NO-3 shot of rich Beetroot juice (\~7mmol nitrate; Beet It, James White Drinks Ltd, Ipswich, UK).
Nitrate then Placebo	Beetroot Juice	Participants will consume a daily a beetroot shot for six days. Each shot will consist of: 1x70ml concentrated NO-3 shot of rich Beetroot juice (\~7mmol nitrate; Beet It, James White Drinks Ltd, Ipswich, UK). Following a minimum of ten days wash out, participants will then consume a daily Nitrate-depleted beetroot shot for six days. Each shot will consist of 1x70ml nitrate-depleted beetroot Placebo shot (\~0.003mmol of nitrate; Beet It, James White Drinks Ltd, Ipswich, UK).
Placebo then Nitrate	Placebo	Participants will consume a daily Nitrate-depleted beetroot shot for six days. Each shot will consist of 1x70ml nitrate-depleted beetroot Placebo shot (\~0.003mmol of nitrate; Beet It, James White Drinks Ltd, Ipswich, UK). Following a minimum of ten days wash out, participants will then consume a daily beetroot shot for six days. Each shot will consist of: 1x70ml concentrated NO-3 shot of rich Beetroot juice (\~7mmol nitrate; Beet It, James White Drinks Ltd, Ipswich, UK).
Nitrate then Placebo	Placebo	Participants will consume a daily a beetroot shot for six days. Each shot will consist of: 1x70ml concentrated NO-3 shot of rich Beetroot juice (\~7mmol nitrate; Beet It, James White Drinks Ltd, Ipswich, UK). Following a minimum of ten days wash out, participants will then consume a daily Nitrate-depleted beetroot shot for six days. Each shot will consist of 1x70ml nitrate-depleted beetroot Placebo shot (\~0.003mmol of nitrate; Beet It, James White Drinks Ltd, Ipswich, UK).

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS-C) as Assessed by the Environmental Symptoms Questionnaire.	Measured on the fifth day of supplementation with a six-hour exposure to hypoxia	Acute Cerebral Mountain Sickness score (AMS-C) calculated from the 11-item Environmental Symptoms Questionnaire (ESQ; Sampson et al., 1994). Participants rate the severity of each item from zero to five, and the ratings were multiplied by their factorial loadings and summed.; Unabbreviated scale title: Acute Cerebral Mountain Sickness Abbreviated title: AMS-C Unit of measure: Scores on a scale Minimum value: 0 Maximum value: 5 Interpretation: Higher scores mean a worse outcome

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Hypoxic Exercise Performance as Assessed by Time to Exhaustion at 80% of Hypoxic V̇O2max Reserve.	Measured on the sixth day of supplementation	On day six of each supplementation protocol, participants completed a time to exhaustion test at 80% of their hypoxic V̇O2max reserve in acute hypoxia (FiO2 14.1%, equivalent 3225 m). Maximal exercise performance is defined as time to exhaustion (TTE) determined by the time from onset of test to task failure (volitional exhaustion or inability to maintain treadmill speed).

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

School of Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences, Bangor University; 🇬🇧 Bangor, Gwynedd, United Kingdom