This study investigated the efficacy of SPORTTM (a popular dietary supplement) in improving performance and assisting recovery in 9 trained athletes. In a double-blind, crossover experiment, subjects ran at workloads of 60 and 80% of peak oxygen uptake [Formula: see text] for 5 min each with 5 min recovery after each bout and at 100% [Formula: see text] until exhaustion. Two capsules of either SPORTTM or a gelatin placebo were administered 1 hr prior to exercise and immediately after each workload. Heart rate (HR) and blood lactate (BLa) were measured at 1 hr prior to exercise, immediately after the 100% exercise bout and at 5, 10, 20, and 45 min during recovery. No significant differences between treatments on HR and BLa measures at any of the 6 time periods, or on subjects' time to exhaustion were found. Under the conditions of this experimental design, SPORTTM had no beneficial effects on performance or recovery in trained athletes. Key Words: blood lactate, dioscorea, heart rate, ergogenic aid, time to exhaustion
