A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Study examining an Oxygen Nanobubble Beverage for 16.1-km Time Trial and Repeated Sprint Cycling Performance

There is growing interest of ergogenic aids that deliver supplemental oxygen during exercise and recovery, however, breathing supplemental oxygen <i>via</i> specialist facemasks is often not feasible. Therefore, this study investigated the effect of an oxygen-nanobubble beverage during submaximal and repeated sprint cycling. In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study, 10 male cyclists (peak aerobic capacity, 56.9 ± 6.1 mL·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹; maximal aerobic power, 385 ± 25 W) completed submaximal or maximal exercise after consuming an oxygen-nanobubble (O₂) or placebo (PLA) beverage. Submaximal trials comprised 30-min of steady-state cycling at 60% peak aerobic capacity and 16.1-km time-trial (TT). Maximal trials involved 4 × 30 s Wingate tests interspersed by 4-min recovery. Time-to-completion during the 16.1-km TT was 2.4% faster after O₂ compared with PLA (<i>95% CI</i> = 0.7–4.0%, <i>p</i> = 0.010, <i>d</i> = 0.41). Average power for the 16.1-km TT was 4.1% higher for O₂ vs. PLA (<i>95% CI</i> = 2.1–7.3%, <i>p</i> = 0.006, <i>d</i> = 0.28). Average peak power during the repeated Wingate tests increased by 7.1% for O₂ compared with PLA (<i>p</i> = 0.002, <i>d</i> = 0.58). An oxygen-nanobubble beverage improves performance during submaximal and repeated sprint cycling, therefore may provide a practical and effective ergogenic aid for competitive cyclists.