Beetroot is a great food packed with nutrients and benefits for good health. Beetroot contains betalains (antioxidants that are responsible for the deep red colour), vitamins A and C, iron, and other minerals, carotenoids, and dietary fibre.
But it’s the juice that is starting to garner the attention for its therapeutic benefits. Beetroot is a source of dietary nitrates which, after consumption, are eventually converted to nitric oxide (NO) in the body. Beetroot juice has been investigated for its possible health benefits for the cardiovascular system and for its effects on endurance.
A recent study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology investigated the possibility that dietary nitrate supplementation (from beetroot juice) may help to boost endurance during exercise.
The study of eight men aged between 19 and 38 involved the subjects drinking 500 ml of beetroot juice or blackcurrant cordial as placebo for six consecutive days (blackcurrant cordial was used as placebo as it has negligible nitrate content).
The participants then completed a series of moderate intensity and severe intensity tests on an exercise bike on days four, five and six.
The researchers found that on days 4-6, plasma nitrate levels were significantly greater in the subjects who had been drinking beetroot juice. There was also a decreased oxygen cost during moderate intensity exercise and an increased time to exhaustion during high intensity exercise in the beetroot juice group.
What are some of the super foods you use to help your endurance?
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