What factors influence the effect of nitrate on sports performance?

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    Last Updated: April 23, 2025

    Supplementation with nitrate is most effective when taken 2 to 3 hours before exercise and may vary in effectiveness based on factors such as training status (recreational athletes benefit more than elite endurance athletes). Additionally, there is some indication that nitrate might be more effective in men than women, but further research is needed to clarify these effects and address the limitations of existing studies.

    Systematic reviews and meta-analyses have found that supplementation with nitrate tends to work best when taken approximately 2 to 3 hours before exercise.[1] Meta-analyses have also found that the effects of nitrate might be influenced by training status. For example, some meta-analyses have found that effects tend to be diminished in endurance athletes with a high performance level (e.g., elite athletes) and that nitrate tends to work best in recreational athletes or nonathletes during longer-duration time-to-exhaustion tests (i.e., tests measuring how long a person can run/cycle at a low to moderate intensity).[2][3][4] That said, some analyses have shown nitrate to work best during shorter exercise bouts (lasting between 2 and 10 min).[1] Nitrate might also be more effective in men than women; however, very few studies in women have been published, so more research is needed to understand whether a sex difference exists.[3][4][1]

    The major problem with such analyses is that very few randomized controlled trials have been specifically designed to examine dose-response effects, time course effects, sex differences, etc. Plus, the existing studies include a small number of participants. Further high-quality research is needed to understand when and in whom nitrate works best.