食品强化剂可显著增强人体耐力

Research from the University of Exeter has revealed taking a dietary supplement to boost nitric oxide¹（氧化一氮） in the body can significantly boost stamina²（毅力，精力） during high-intensity³ exercise. The study has important implications for athletes, as results suggest that taking the supplement can allow people to exercise up to 20% longer and could produce a 1-2% improvement in race times.

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This comes on the back of previous research from Exeter which showed that the high nitrate content of beetroot（甜菜根） juice, which also boosts nitric oxide in the body, has a similar effect on performance. #

However, the latest study gets the nitric oxide into the body through a different biological process – and now the researchers are hoping to find out whether combining the two methods could bring an even greater improvement in athletic⁴ performance. #

Professor Andrew Jones, from the University's School of Sport and Health Sciences, said: "The research found that when the dietary supplement was used there was a striking increase in performance by altering the use of oxygen during exercise.

"This is important for endurance athletes as we would expect the supplement to bring a 1-2% improvement in race times. While this may seem small, this is a very meaningful improvement – particularly at elite⁵（精英，精华） levels where small gains can be the difference between winning and losing."

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For the research, nine healthy males were put through several different physical challenges on a cycling ergometer（测力计） to measure their performance under different levels of exercise intensity. #

Participants were randomly⁶ assigned to take either a blackcurrant（黑醋栗） cordial（补品，兴奋剂） placebo⁷（安慰剂，对照剂） drink or the genuine supplement, which was Ark 1 from Arkworld International Limited – which contains the L-arginine amino acid（氨基酸） which enhances the production of nitric oxide in the body. #

The report, published on-line by the Journal of Applied Physiology, found taking the supplement: Improves severe-intensity exercise endurance by 20% Significantly reduces systolic（心脏收缩的） blood pressure Reduces the oxygen cost of exercise #