Beetroot Juice!
You may have seen people around your gym shotting little bottles of purple juice- this is likely to be beetroot juice!
Why take it?
Beetroot contains high levels of something called inorganic nitrate, this is the precursor* of nitric oxide.
Nitric oxide has been shown to increase blood flow via vasodilation (widening of the blood vessels), strengthen muscle contraction and improve lung function.
*A substance from which another is formed
Prolonged beetroot juice supplementation in combination with endurance training is shown to promote mitochondrial biogenesis. Exercise causes cellular stress and mitochondrial biogenesis is a process where our body increases energy in our cells.
Nitric oxide works by increasing blood flow and feeding more oxygen to your working muscles. Showing up to 16% of a performance increase in some studies.
In fact, beetroot juice supplementation appeared to:
- Enhance perfromance in oxygen capacity in kayakers compared to a placebo group.
- Trained runners ran 5% faster in the later part of a 5000-meter race
Benefits:
Alongside these athletic benefits beetroot juice holds a plethora of general health gains.
- Lowering blood pressure
- Great source of minerals– including potassium, iron and magnesium.
- High in folate- folate is super helpful for pregnant ladies as it can reduce the risk of having a premature baby.
- Beets are high in betalains which are phytonutrients shown to help reduce inflammation in the body.
Side effects:
You may find your urine and stools to be pinky red. This is known as beeturia, and is harmless.
| Supplementation. Athletes seem to benefit most from beet juice supplementation 150 minutes prior to their events.Research suggests supplementing with beetroot juice at least six days prior to intense exercise or athletic events for best ergogenic benefits.300-500mg is the ideal amount of nitrate which can often be found in a 70ml size shot of beetroot concentrate. |