Supplementation
Participants were provided an opaque bottle in a randomized order with half of the participants initially assigned to the Setria Performance Blend [SPB; L-citrulline (2 g) + glutathione (200 mg); Kyowa Hakko Bio, Tokyo, Japan] and the other half a placebo (PL; 3.1 g cellulose). Participants ingested their assigned treatment seven consecutive days prior to the first exercise visit (visit 2) and took the eighth dose at the laboratory. After a 14-day washout period, another baseline blood draw as obtained (visit 3), and participants began ingestion of the alternative treatment prior to the second exercise visit (visit 4). Utilizing a random allocation software, participants were randomly assigned treatment order in blocks of four to ensure equally balanced groups. Treatments were packaged in separate opaque bottles and blinded as treatment A and treatment B by the sponsor; both treatments were identical in appearance and taste. Participants were instructed to ingest six capsules of the assigned treatment once per day one hour prior to exercise for seven days. On day eight, participants were instructed to bring the treatment to the exercise visit where the eighth dose was consumed an hour before the exercise test (visits 2 and 4). Treatment consumption was separated by a minimum of a fourteen-day washout period, based on a half-life of ≤8 hours for both nitrate and L-citrulline [