Supplementation with 2-nitrooxy ethyl 2-amino 3 methylbutanoate is probably of little use to strength athletes, researchers at the University of Memphis reported in 2010. But if the same athletes smear a 2-nitrooxy ethyl 2-amino 3-methylbutanoate gel on their skin instead, it works in one out of two cases.
Supplementation with 2-nitrooxy ethyl 2-amino 3 methylbutanoate is probably of little use to strength athletes, researchers at the University of Memphis reported in 2010. But if the same athletes smear a 2-nitrooxy ethyl 2-amino 3-methylbutanoate gel on their skin instead, it works in one out of two cases.
Supplementation with 2-nitrooxy ethyl 2-amino 3 methylbutanoate is probably of little use to strength athletes, researchers at the University of Memphis reported in 2010. But if the same athletes smear a 2-nitrooxy ethyl 2-amino 3-methylbutanoate gel on their skin instead, it works in one out of two cases.
2-Nitrooxy Ethyl 2-Amino 3-Methylbutanoate [structural formula shown here] is the active substance in supplements like eNoxide. In the body 2-nitrooxy ethyl 2-amino 3-methylbutanoate functions as a nitrogen monoxide donor.
Nitrogen monoxide stimulates muscle tissue recovery after heavy training. In addition, a higher concentration of nitrogen monoxide in muscle tissue during intensive exertion can enhance performance – perhaps because nitrogen monoxide widens the blood vessels or perhaps because nitrogen monoxide makes the cells more efficient at generating energy.
The scientific literature on nitrogen monoxide supplements is confusing. Nearly every product has been found to work in some studies and not work in others. This may be because the human body employs many different mechanisms to maintain nitrogen monoxide levels, and these can cancel out the effect of nitrogen monoxide supplementation. The researchers tried to get round these mechanisms by dissolving 2-nitrooxy ethyl 2-amino 3-methylbutanoate in tea tree oil and rubbing it into their subjects’ skin.
The subjects were 15 men in their twenties, all of whom had been doing weight training for several years. The men had to train their biceps twice, doing a total of 9 sets. They did three sets consecutively with 80, 65 and 50 percent of the weight with which they could only just manage 1 rep.
During the week running up to the biceps training, the men rubbed a gel containing 15 mg 2-nitrooxy ethyl 2-amino 3-methylbutanoate into their arms every day [Gel]. The researchers repeated the procedure but gave the men an oil that contained no active ingredients [Placebo].
2-Nitrooxy Ethyl 2-Amino 3-Methylbutanoate had virtually no effect, the researchers discovered. The supplement had no statistically significant effect on the pump the men reported, their physical feeling of exhaustion [RPE], their heart rate [HR] or on the number of reps. Nowhere was the p lower than 0.05.
But even so…
When the researchers took another good look at the number of reps the men were able to squeeze out of their sets, they saw that half of them managed to perform longer sets. So there were responders and non-responders.
For the whole group 2-nitrooxy ethyl 2-amino 3-methylbutanoate boosted the number of reps that the subjects made with 50 percent of their maximal weight the most. The rise was 6.2 percent – no, it wasn’t statistically significant. But in the eight responders, the number of reps rose by 19.9 percent.
For the group as a whole the total number of reps rose by 2.5 percent. For the responders the figure was 10 percent.
The researchers suspect that the responders’ muscles produce more of the enzyme carboxylesterase-2, which releases nitrogen monoxide from 2-nitrooxy ethyl 2-amino 3-methylbutanoate.
“The molecule 2-nitrooxy ethyl 2-amino 3-methylbutanoate, when applied as a topical gel, may provide a modest ergogenic benefit in selected individuals”, the researchers write. “As with most ergogenic aids, dietary supplements in particular, there exists a high degree of variability in subjects’ response. That is, some individuals may benefit from the use of the gel and others may not.”
The study was financed by Advanced Oral Technologies, the manufacturer of eNoxide.
Effects of 2-nitrooxy ethyl 2-amino 3-methylbutanoate gel on resistance exercise performance and blood nitrate/nitrite in resistance trained men.
Bloomer RJ, Alleman RJ Jr, Cantrell GS, Farney TM, Schilling BK.
Source
Cardiorespiratory/Metabolic Laboratory, The University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee, USA. rbloomer@memphis.edu
Abstract
Nitric oxide dietary supplements are popular within the sport community. Our recent work involving the oral intake of 2-nitrooxy ethyl 2-amino 3-methylbutanoate demonstrated an approximately 6.7% increase in circulating nitrate/nitrite. However, no measures of exercise performance were obtained. The present study used a topical form of this molecule to determine the impact on exercise performance and blood nitrate/nitrite. Fourteen resistance trained men (24 ± 1 years old) reported to the laboratory on 2 occasions to undergo exercise testing, which consisted of arm curl isometric force and muscular endurance (3 sets to fatigue using 80, 65, and 50% of 1 repetition maximum [1RM]: total of 9 sets). The gel (2-nitrooxy ethyl 2-amino 3-methylbutanoate; mixed in tea tree oil) or placebo (tea tree oil) was applied topically by the subjects for 7 days before each test day, with 7-10 days separating the randomly ordered conditions. Blood samples, arm circumference, and perceived “muscle pump” were taken before and immediately after exercise on both test days. The heart rate and perceived exertion were measured after each set. No statistically significant differences were noted between conditions for performance variables (p > 0.05). However, when using a load of 50% of 1RM, 6.2% more repetitions were performed when using the gel as compared with when using the placebo; 19.9% more repetitions were performed by 8 subjects noted to be “responders” to gel treatment. Blood lactate and muscle pump significantly increased with exercise (p < 0.0001) but were not different between conditions (p > 0.05). Minimal change was noted in nitrate/nitrite, and the heart rate and perceived exertion were nearly identical between conditions (p > 0.05). These findings indicate that 2-nitrooxy ethyl 2-amino 3-methylbutanoate gel has a modest (6.2%), nonstatistically significant effect on exercise performance, in particular when using a load of 50% 1RM-with greater benefit noted in selected individuals. Studies inclusive of a larger sample size are needed to extend these initial findings.
PMID: 21921823 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]
