Beet Juice Boosts Endurance

Beet juice may be the new exercise boost athletes are seeking.

It is unlikely that sports associations will ban beet juice as a performance enhancing substance, but a small study from Korea suggests that men who drink it regularly can exercise longer before becoming tired.

Previous research has shown that beet juice can lower blood pressure and even help the brain. In this study, 14 healthy young men worked out on stationary bicycles after two weeks of drinking either beet juice or a nitrate-depleted beet juice placebo beverage for two weeks. The dose was 70 ml/day, which works out to about one-third cup.

All the Measurements Trended in the Right Direction:

The exercise physiologists measured the amount of nitrate in the volunteers’ bloodstreams and also measured their blood pressure, cardiac output, total peripheral resistance and the function of the blood vessel linings (endothelial function).

Beet juice improved all parameters, presumably because of the nitrate it supplied to the lining of the blood vessels. This is converted to nitric oxide, which relaxes them and makes them more flexible.

By improving circulation and cardiac output, it also improved performance, particularly with respect to endurance. This might be what would convince weekend warriors to drink it.

American Journal of Physiology–Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, online, June 17, 2015