Beyond strength: dietary nitrate augments self-selected functional mobility after resistance training in middle-aged adults.
Brandon M Peoples, Mason C McIntosh, Kenneth D Harrison et al.
✦ AI-curated · Sources linked
In 30 seconds
This 12-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial tested whether dietary nitrate added to resistance training improved gait and functional mobility in 28 healthy, inactive adults aged 56 ± 7 years. Participants received nitrate-rich beetroot juice or nitrate-depleted juice while completing supervised resistance training twice weekly. Compared with placebo, the nitrate group had greater adjusted gait speed (1.38 vs 1.27 m/s, p = .010), longer stride length, and shorter instrumented timed up-and-go duration. The findings suggest a functional benefit beyond resistance training alone in this sample.
Key findings
- Adjusted gait speed favored beetroot juice over placebo: 1.38 vs 1.27 m/s, p = .010.
- Between-group differences favored beetroot juice for stride length (p < .001) and instrumented timed up-and-go duration (p < .05).
- The beetroot juice group improved in gait speed (p < 0.001) and timed up-and-go duration (p < .05); the placebo group showed no functional changes.
Why it matters
Resistance training can improve strength without necessarily improving functional mobility. In this pilot trial, adding dietary nitrate was associated with better self-selected gait and mobility outcomes than training with placebo, highlighting a potential way to complement exercise. The results are preliminary and apply to the healthy, inactive middle-aged and older adults studied.
What to keep in mind
This was a pilot trial with 28 participants and 12 weeks of follow-up. The reported sex-specific patterns were descriptive and were not tested with inferential statistics.