Despite enhancing the aforementioned indices of lower extremity strength and power, chronic betaine ingestion did not improve Wingate anaerobic power [10]. The inability of betaine to enhance cycling sprint performance, as measured with the Wingate anaerobic power test, may be related to the duration of the test and the amount of recovery Idasanutlin between trials. Perhaps the 30 sec Wingate test and the 5 min recovery period
between trials were too long to fully assess betaine’s putative ability to enhance sport specific strength and power, both of which contribute significantly to Wingate performance. A series of shorter work bouts interspersed with shorter periods of active recovery may be a more applicable test of betaine’s potential to enhance anaerobic power while cycling. To that end, our purpose was to examine the effect of one week of betaine ingestion on anaerobic power as measured with a series of four, 12 sec work bouts on the cycle ergometer. Methods Subjects Sixteen college-aged males (n = 9) and females
(n = 7) volunteered to participate in this study; their mean ± SD for age, height, and Selleck LY2228820 weight were: 19 ± 0.8 y, 172 ± 12.0 cm, and 75 ± 14.9 kg and morphological data are present in Table 1. All subjects were free of lower body musculoskeletal PXD101 molecular weight injury and reported no limitations to exercise. Subjects were informed of the experimental procedures and known risks, and signed an informed consent approved by the Ithaca College Human Subjects Review Board prior to participation. Table 1 Body Composition Variable Baseline Placebo Betaine Body Weight (kg) 75.1 ± 14.9 74.9 ± 14.9 75.4 ± 14.9 Free Fat Mass (kg) 60.1 ± 14.6 59.8 ± 14.6 59.7 ± 14.5 Fat Mass (kg) 15.0 ± 0.3 15.1 ± 0.3 15.7 ± 0.4 Percent Fat Mass 20.1 ± 10.5 20.2 ± 10.4 20.9 ± 10.9 Total Body Water (kg) 44.0 ± 10.7 43.8 ± 10.7
43.7 ± 10.6 Data are mean ± SD * p < 0.05 compared to corresponding baseline value # p < 0.05 compared to corresponding placebo value Experimental design This investigation examined the effects of two drink solutions on cycling sprint performance with a double blind cross-over design. The placebo was a commercial carbohydrate-electrolyte beverage (Wegmans MVP), whereas the same carbohydrate-electrolyte beverage Resveratrol with 2.5 g of betaine (minimum purity is 99%; BetaPower™ DuPont Nutrition & Health, Tarrytown, NY) was the experimental drink. Since betaine is colorless and tasteless, subjects could not differentiate between the two solutions. Furthermore, to ensure drink anonymity, all cap ties were broken prior to consumption. Subjects completed three cycling sprint tests, the first of which served as a baseline measure. Subjects were match-paired based upon maximum peak power and assigned to consume either the placebo or betaine beverage. They were instructed to consume approximately half (295 mL) of their respective beverage twice a day for seven days, after which they were tested again.