“Research revealed”: Brilliant Beetroot

So, when you’re thinking foods for sport, would beetroot spring to mind?

We look at why beetroot and cherries are awesome sport supporters. The research studies from 2020 suggests so. Grab the purple and red…

Beetroot

• Beetroot juice has become really popular amongst athletes aiming to improve sport performances. Beetroot juice contains high concentrations of nitrate, which can be converted into nitric oxide after consumption. In the body, nitric oxide helps with dilation of blood vessels, helping to reduce blood pressure and increasing oxygen and nutrient delivery to the body’s organs and tissues including the muscles. Studies have shown that beetroot juice can help muscle efficiency, tolerance and endurance, and because of this,  may help sports performance.
• Research testing resistance training (back squats and bench presses) and the effects of beetroot juice supplements, showed that it improved muscular endurance.
• Scientists have looked at high intensity exercise and wondered what effect beetroot might have on mood state and rates of perceived exertion (how hard the person worked and how that made them feel). This study found that compared with a placebo, those who took a beetroot juice supplement had improved pre-exercise tension, improved 30 second all out cycling test results and lower post-exercise ratings of perceived exertion.

References:

1/ 3/ 2020, “The benefits and risks of beetroot juice consumption: a systematic review”, Critical reviews in food science and nutrition, vol. ahead-of-print, no. ahead-of-print, pp. 1-17.

2/  2020, “Acute Effects of Beetroot Juice Supplements on Resistance Training: A Randomized Double-Blind Crossover”, Nutrients, vol. 12, no. 7, pp. 1912.

3/ 2020, “Effect of Beetroot Juice Supplementation on Mood, Perceived Exertion, and Performance During a 30-Second Wingate Test”, International journal of sports physiology and performance, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 243-248.