Sucrose but Not Nitrate Ingestion Reduces Strenuous Cycling–induced Intestinal Injury

Purpose Strenuous exercise induces intestinal injury, which is likely related to splanchnic hypoperfusion and may be associated with gastrointestinal complaints commonly reported during certain exercise modalities. Increasing circulating nitric oxide (NO) levels or inducing postprandial hyperemia may improve splanchnic perfusion, thereby attenuating intestinal injury during exercise. Therefore, we investigated the effects of both dietary nitrate ingestion and sucrose ingestion on splanchnic perfusion and intestinal injury induced by prolonged strenuous cycling. Methods In a randomized crossover manner, 16 well-trained male athletes (age, 28 ± 7 yr; Wmax, 5.0 ± 0.3 W·kg−1) cycled 60 min at 70% Wmax after acute ingestion of sodium nitrate (NIT; 800 mg NO3), sucrose (SUC; 40 g), or a water placebo (PLA). Splanchnic perfusion was assessed by determining the gap between gastric and arterial pCO2 (gapg-apCO2) using gastric air tonometry. Plasma intestinal fatty acid–binding protein (I-FABP) concentrations, reflecting enterocyte damage, were assessed every 20 min during and up to 60 min of postexercise recovery. Results The exercise protocol resulted in splanchnic hypoperfusion, as gapg-apCO2 levels increased during exercise (P

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