Beetroot juice (nitrates)
A dietary source of nitrates, which the body converts into nitric oxide. One of the few endurance-boosting supplements that stands up to testing.
Benefits
- Reduces oxygen consumption for the same level of exertion: the same pace requires less oxygen, and the time before exhaustion is extended
- Reduces blood pressure by an average of 3 to 4.4 mmHg (meta-analyses of 16 and 22 trials)
- Increases power output during repeated sprints with little recovery time (24 sprints of 6 seconds)
- Improves endurance at altitude and increases the exercise capacity of patients with heart failure by 24 per cent
Precautions
Turns urine and stools red: striking, but not serious. Antiseptic mouthwashes counteract the effect, as the conversion of nitrates begins with bacteria in the mouth. It is also worth noting that the benefit diminishes as the concentration increases — in elite 1,500-metre runners and well-trained cyclists during one hour of exercise, several trials have found no improvement.
Recommended dosage
Approximately 6 to 8 mmol of nitrates — equivalent to around 500 ml of juice, or an equivalent amount of concentrate — 2 to 3 hours before exercise.
What the studies say
This study investigated the effects of caffeine supplementation (3 mg/kg) on performance in a cycling time trial. Caffeine, administered in the form of chewing gum, improved performance by 3% to 4% in both men and women. Beetroot juice alone had no effect, and the combination of caffeine and beetroot juice did not show any additive effect compared with caffeine alone.
Lane SC, Hawley JA, Desbrow B, Jones AM, Blackwell JR, Ross ML, Zemski AJ, Burke LM. — Applied physiology, nutrition, and metabolism = Physiologie appliquee, nutrition et metabolisme (2014) — View the source study
For information only: not a substitute for medical advice. Dietary supplements are not a replacement for a varied, balanced diet. Learn more