Humann and UC Davis announced a joint research program studying precision nutrition and heart health. Here is what older endurance athletes need to know.
On September 8, 2026, Humann and the University of California, Davis Innovation Institute for Food and Health announced a new academic research partnership. The collaboration will investigate whether precision nutrition approaches can improve cardiovascular health, physical performance, and longevity. The planned program is expected to include scientific research and clinical trials involving women and men across multiple life stages. For the veteran endurance athlete, this highlights a growing scientific focus on how targeted nutrition shifts as we age.
The primary goal of this joint program is to generate data that can inform future food and dietary supplement products. Humann CEO Joel Kocher stated the company wants to move beyond its original focus on nitric oxide and vasodilation. Instead, the research focus will widen toward a broader definition of cardiovascular nutrition. Justin Siegel, a representative for the Innovation Institute for Food and Health, noted the collaboration will use advanced technologies. These tools will investigate links between nutrition, cardiovascular health, and healthy aging.
Humann originally built its foundation around nitric oxide research associated with the University of Texas and Nobel laureate Ferid Murad. Murad helped establish nitric oxide as a signaling molecule in the cardiovascular system. The company is best known for SuperBeets, which is a beet-based supplement line positioned around blood flow support. Now, NutraIngredients reports that Humann plans to direct much of its investment toward entirely new product categories. The company has not publicly disclosed the first projects or their specific protocols yet.
Kocher also described scientific partnerships as central to the company’s development moving forward. He noted the UC Davis collaboration should deepen the scientific understanding of how nutrition supports cardiovascular health. The emphasis on tailored strategies reflects a broader industry recognition that generalized nutrition advice often falls short for aging populations. By targeting specific life stages, the research may eventually provide more granular guidance for aging athletes.
To lead this research initiative, Humann appointed Dr. Harold Schmitz as the chair of its science advisory board. Schmitz is a former chief science officer at Mars and a senior scholar at the UC Davis Graduate School of Management. The announcement highlights his extensive experience in nitric oxide research and food innovation. Schmitz characterized cardiovascular health as a driver of longevity and physical performance across life stages.
He specifically identified blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar as components that shape long-term cardiovascular health. These metrics are critical for endurance athletes who want to sustain high training volumes without accumulating excessive physiological stress. Addressing these foundational health markers can help athletes maintain cardiovascular resilience over multiple decades of competition. The partnership aims to uncover how targeted interventions can better support these specific health components.
The planned research program is expected to include clinical trials involving women and men across multiple life stages. However, the public announcement does not disclose specific participant numbers, age brackets, or trial dates. It also omits the specific interventions, dosages, control groups, and endpoints that researchers will use. The stated emphasis on precision nutrition suggests an interest in tailoring interventions to individual differences.
Without detailed protocols, the athletic community cannot yet evaluate how these trials will translate to daily training. It remains unclear which specific biomarkers, metabolic measurements, dietary patterns, or wearable data will guide this personalization. Measuring cardiovascular health across a diverse population requires significant technical precision and rigid control measures. The lack of published methodological details means endurance athletes must exercise patience before altering their current fueling routines.
UC Davis already conducts human cardiovascular nutrition research, providing a strong academic foundation for the new partnership. For example, the university lists a separate registered study examining whether peanut consumption changes cardiovascular disease risk indicators. That separate study involves adults aged 18 to 65. This independent track record demonstrates the existing academic infrastructure for rigorous testing.
Nutrition Insight reports that Humann makes claims involving nearly twice the blood pressure effect of diet and exercise alone. The primary coverage also notes company claims of up to a 40 percent improvement in blood sugar response. However, the current reporting does not provide enough methodological detail to independently evaluate those specific figures. NutraIngredients reports that Humann wants to pursue proprietary work through the relationship.
This indicates future findings may emerge alongside commercial product development objectives. Endurance athletes should critically evaluate future data and distinguish peer-reviewed outcomes from marketing language. The pursuit of new intellectual property often drives innovation, but it requires consumers to maintain a healthy skepticism. Relying on objective clinical endpoints remains the safest approach for veterans managing their long-term health.
The partnership is an early research signal rather than a finalized race protocol. The current body of evidence regarding dietary nitrates remains mixed by test type. A systematic review covering 17 controlled human studies found a statistically significant moderate benefit for time to exhaustion tests. However, the same review found the effect on time trial performance was small and not statistically significant.
Another meta-analysis reported improvements in power output, distance traveled, and oxygen consumption after dietary nitrate supplementation. This same analysis found no significant improvement in time trial performance or perceived exertion. It also showed no major changes in maximal oxygen uptake or blood lactate. These findings suggest that nitrate may improve open-ended endurance capacity without reliably producing faster race results. Athletes should not assume that a nitrate product will automatically guarantee a new personal best.
The cardiovascular evidence presents similar nuances for older athletes prioritizing healthspan. One review of 11 trials involving 349 participants examined beetroot juice providing 200 to 800 milligrams of nitrate per day. This review found an average 5.31 mmHg reduction in clinical systolic blood pressure versus a placebo. However, the evidence quality was rated low, and there was no statistically significant effect on clinical diastolic blood pressure.
A separate meta-analysis reported average reductions of 4.80 mmHg in systolic blood pressure and 1.74 mmHg in diastolic blood pressure with inorganic nitrate. These findings concern cardiovascular risk factors rather than definitive proof that supplementation prevents cardiovascular disease or extends lifespan. Veterans aged 35 to 65 must separate their long-term cardiovascular goals from short-term race fueling. A supplement that affects blood flow is not a substitute for adequate carbohydrate intake, fluid management, sleep, and medical screening.
If you plan to experiment with beetroot or another nitrate-rich product, you should test it during training. Never try a new supplement for the first time on race day. Implementing structured habits requires a smart longevity decision framework to balance immediate performance with aging. Anyone with hypertension or cardiovascular disease should obtain individualized clinical advice before using concentrated nitrate supplements.
These available reviews describe specific changes in blood pressure, but they do not establish that supplementation is appropriate for every athlete. Furthermore, the evidence does not prove that supplementation safely replaces or complements every prescription medication. Athletes should track their individual responses rather than assuming a population average effect applies perfectly to them. The rationale for the new program is precisely that nutrition and cardiovascular responses may differ across people and life stages.
We must wait to see how those individual differences will be measured and applied in practical settings. In the meantime, maintaining a robust approach to endurance nutrition for healthy aging remains your strongest asset. Consistency in daily nutrition and structured training will always outweigh the marginal gains of an untested supplement protocol. Let the clinical trials conclude before overhauling your trusted cardiovascular strategies.
Ultimately, older endurance athletes should monitor this emerging precision nutrition research while relying on established, fundamental training and fueling habits.
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