Browsing by Author "Gruber, Allison H."

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    Beetroot supplementation in women enjoying exercise together (BEE SWEET): Rationale, design and methods
    (Elsevier, 2020-03-21) Baranauskas, Marissa N.; Altherr, Cody A.; Gruber, Allison H.; Coggan, Andrew R.; Raglin, John S.; Gupta, Samir K.; Carter, Stephen J.; Kinesiology, School of Health and Human Sciences
    Background: Postmenopausal women exhibit higher rates of disability and cardiovascular disease (CVD) with aging compared to men. Whereas habitual exercise training is a known strategy to enhance physiologic function in men and premenopausal women, exercise-related adaptations are often modest in postmenopausal women. We propose dietary nitrate (beetroot juice) administered prior to exercise training may be a feasible approach to improve mobility and cardio-metabolic health outcomes in postmenopausal women. Methods: Our randomized, placebo-controlled study aims to determine preliminary effects sizes for changes in functional mobility and endothelium-dependent vasodilation across three study arms: exercise only (EX), exercise + placebo (EX + PL), and exercise + beetroot (EX + BR). Thirty-six postmenopausal women are recruited in small cohorts wherein group exercise is implemented to facilitate social support and adherence to an 8-week training progression. Participants are randomized to one of three study arms (n = 12 per group) following baseline assessments. Post-intervention assessments are used to determine pre-post changes in outcome measures including distance covered during a 6 min walk test, walking economy, muscle speed and power, and endothelial-dependent vasodilation as determined by flow-mediated dilation. Measures of feasibility include recruitment, retention, adherence to exercise prescription, perceived exercise session difficulty, and adverse event rates. Discussion: Evidence-based, translational strategies are needed to optimize exercise training-related adaptations in postmenopausal women. Findings will inform larger randomized clinical trials to determine if pre-exercise consumption of beetroot juice is an efficacious strategy to promote mobility and attenuate CVD disease risk.
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    Potential health effects of dietary nitrate supplementation in aging and chronic degenerative disease
    (Elsevier, 2020-08) Carter, Stephen J.; Gruber, Allison H.; Raglin, John S.; Baranauskas, Marissa N.; Coggan, Andrew R.; Kinesiology, School of Health and Human Sciences
    In the United States, latest projections indicate the number of adults 65 years of age and older is expected to double by 2050. Given that increased oxidative stress is a hallmark of aging, it is understandable that waning nitric oxide and chronic degenerative disease arise in tandem. To this end, translational evidence-based strategies are needed to mitigate the impending toll on personal and public health. Dietary nitrate supplementation, particularly in the form of beetroot juice, is an active area of inquiry that has gained considerable attention in recent years. Compelling evidence has revealed beetroot juice can elicit potent physiological responses that may offer associated health benefits for multiple clinical disorders including hypertension, dementia, and sarcopenia. Even in the absence of overt disease, age-related impairments in cardiovascular and skeletal muscle function may uniquely benefit from beetroot juice supplementation as evidence has shown blood pressure lowering effects and improved muscle function/contractility – presumably from increased nitric oxide bioavailability. This, in turn, presents a practical opportunity for susceptible populations to support ease of movement and exercise tolerance, both of which may promote free-living physical activity. A theoretical rationale details the potential health effects of dietary nitrate supplementation, wherein a working framework hypothesizes beetroot juice consumption prior to structured exercise training may offer synergistic benefits to aid healthy aging and independent-living among older adults.