[SA Chris]

http://theuiaa.org/upload_area/Commissions/Medical/English_UIAA-MedCom-Rec-No-22a-Drug-misuse-2014-V1-1.pdf

Some interesting reading if it's your thing.

Not sure if this is the right place for it, but seems as good as any.

[psychomansam]

So apparently I should drink beetroot juice before my next race? Meh.

[Oldmanmatt]

So...

The bit about the Beetroot (organic Nitrate intake) seemed just a little like it might waddle and Quack...

So I started reading the papers cited (literally 5 mins ago, so only just beginning to digest Vanhatalo et al.) and almost immediately hit an ignorance barrier.

Does Hypoxic exertion/Exercise compare, systemically and mechanically, with Anaerobic Exertion/Exercise?

If this effect of increased oxygenation was observed in Hypoxic environments, can it be inferred in Anaerobic Exercises such as Campusing/Bouldering?   

[petejh]

Dietary nitrate has been a no-brainer for a few years now for improving exercise performance. Together with creatine it's one of the very few supplements - if you can call leafy greens and beetroot juice a supplement, that have been proved in multiple studies to actually give a significant benefit.

There are loads of research papers out there to read through. The papers show that organic nitrate helps reduce the oxygen cost of moderate-intensity exercise, and also prolongs time to exhaustion during high-intensity work by reducing the amount of ATP used for any given amount of force production - so it's beneficial for both aerobic and anaerobic demands. Forearm fitness isn't unique, in that the demands of climbing are neither purely anaerobic nor purely aerobic, so if dietary nitrate is beneficial in other mixed aerobic/anaerobic activities such as cycling and running then it is very likely to also be beneficial in reducing the oxygen cost of moderate climbing and increasing the amount of sustained effort possible in anaerobic climbing.

When I was last climbing properly, which was about 18 months ago pre back surgery/being exhausted and then full of injury niggles, I started taking beetroot juice just before and during a trip to the SW and found I couldn't fall off anything pumpy, because I could recover on holds where usually I'd not. Went on the trip with no base of fitness and ended up flashing stuff like Empire just through recovering up it. Not noteworthy in itself but I could feel the difference, with no climbing fitness prior to that trip I'd usually pump out, PE being a big weakness for me.

I did however burst a blood vessel in my eye which I suspect may have something to do with the vasodilative effects of nitrate!

[Snoops]

Dietary nitrate has been a no-brainer for a few years now for improving exercise performance. Together with creatine it's one of the very few supplements - if you can call leafy greens and beetroot juice a supplement, that have been proved in multiple studies to actually give a significant benefit.

There are loads of research papers out there to read through. The papers show that organic nitrate helps reduce the oxygen cost of moderate-intensity exercise, and also prolongs time to exhaustion during high-intensity work by reducing the amount of ATP used for any given amount of force production - so it's beneficial for both aerobic and anaerobic demands. Forearm fitness isn't unique, in that the demands of climbing are neither purely anaerobic nor purely aerobic, so if dietary nitrate is beneficial in other mixed aerobic/anaerobic activities such as cycling and running then it is very likely to also be beneficial in reducing the oxygen cost of moderate climbing and increasing the amount of sustained effort possible in anaerobic climbing.

When I was last climbing properly, which was about 18 months ago pre back surgery/being exhausted and then full of injury niggles, I started taking beetroot juice just before and during a trip to the SW and found I couldn't fall off anything pumpy, because I could recover on holds where usually I'd not. Went on the trip with no base of fitness and ended up flashing stuff like Empire just through recovering up it. Not noteworthy in itself but I could feel the difference, with no climbing fitness prior to that trip I'd usually pump out, PE being a big weakness for me.

I did however burst a blood vessel in my eye which I suspect may have something to do with the vasodilative effects of nitrate!

No claiming to be that knowledgeable on the subject, but whilst you are absolutely right about the benficial effect off nitrates, there is also a lot of scientific research linking excessive amounts of nitrates with cancer. In fact I think there are some FDI or similar guidelines suggesting a max daily intake as a result of this. Haven't looked at the evidence base though.

[petejh]

There is, but it's a completely different form of nitrate. Inorganic nitrate has been strongly linked with stomach cancer and a bunch of other bad health effects. This form of nitrate is found on cured meats, salami etc where it's used as a preservative.

Dietary nitrate from vegetables is not inorganic nitrate. It's one of the healthier things you can choose to eat.

Basically there's tons of publically available research on organic nitrate, inorganic nitrate, organic nitrite and inorganic nitrite.

The first is a 'good' thing to include in a diet - it's just eating lots of spinach, rocket, beetroot and a bunch of other root veg. The last three are 'very bad' things to add to a diet.

[Snoops]

There is, but it's a completely different form of nitrate. Inorganic nitrate has been strongly linked with stomach cancer and a bunch of other bad health effects. This form of nitrate is found on cured meats, salami etc where it's used as a preservative.

Dietary nitrate from vegetables is not inorganic nitrate. It's one of the healthier things you can choose to eat.

Basically there's tons of publically available research on organic nitrate, inorganic nitrate, organic nitrite and inorganic nitrite.

The first is a 'good' thing to include in a diet - it's just eating lots of spinach, rocket, beetroot and a bunch of other root veg. The last three are 'very bad' things to add to a diet.

Good knowledge

[SA Chris]

The last three are 'very bad' things to add to a diet.

But oh so tasty!