Introduction: Beet Juice and Benefits of Beets
Healthy athletes might consider beet juice and benefits of beets to gain an edge in competition sports. Beet juice contains a natural source of nitrates. Beet juice is able to help athletes by increasing plasma nitrates in the blood and reduces oxygen consumption during aerobic activity. Increases of plasma nitrates allows the body to use lesser amounts of oxygen to perform the same amount of activity (or perform more work for the same amount of oxygen consumption).
Beet Juice Benefits
Beet juice benefits include a reduced oxygen requirement by the body for running and walking. Beet juice also increased time to muscle failure in resistance exercise. A double-blind, randomized trial by Lansley K et al found that beet juice consumption lowered systolic blood pressure and the oxygen requirement for walking, jogging, and running. Beet juice also extended the duration of activity an athlete is able to perform. More specifically, 0.5 Liters per day of beet juice for 6 days provided the following benefits compared to placebo. (1)
- lowered systolic BP by 4%
- diastolic blood pressure did not change
- reduced VO2 (oxygen consumption) in walking by ~12%,
- reduced VO2 in moderate-intensity running by ~7%
- reduced VO2 during walking, by about 14%
- increased time to failure by about 15%
Beet Juice Benefits for Cycling:
Beetroot juice at a dose of 0.5 Liters per day for 6 days improved time trials in cycling. Beet juice ingestion helped athletes improve their times by 2.8% and 2.7% in both the 4 and 16.1 km time trials. (2)
Beet Juice and Benefits of Beets Includes Lowering Blood Pressure:
Researchers found that 14 healthy volunteers aged 18-45 who took 500 mL of beet juice daily were noted to have lower blood pressure. Systolic blood pressure 3 hours after ingestion was reduced by 10.4 mm Hg and diastolic BP dropped 8.1 mm Hg (3). Beet juice contains high levels of nitrates and one should be cautious if you are already taking prescribed nitrates, such as Viagra, or blood pressure lowering medication since beet juice may lower blood pressure significantly.
Beet Juice Supplement Boosts Performance for Athletes
A beet juice supplement may boost resistance training athletic performance according to Mosher et al (4). The authors for this research gave a beet juice supplement to 12 men active in resistance training between the ages of 19-23. The nitrate supplement, “Beet IT Sport” was given to the subjects at a dose of 70 ml containing 400 mg of nitrate or a black currant placebo drink. The subjects lifted weight after the beet juice supplement at 60% of their 1 repetition maximum on a “Smith Machine” as many times as they could for 3 sets with 2 minutes if rest between each set. There was similar amounts of perceived exertion in both groups. The following results were obtained from taking the beet juice supplement:
| 6 days of beet juice vs placebo 12 subjects | Beet Juice 400 mg of nitrates | Placebo with black currant juice |
| 1st set at 60% of 1RM # reps | 20 | 17 |
| 2nd set at 60% of 1RM # reps | 14 | 12 |
| 3rd set at 60% of 1RM # reps | 10 | 8 |
| Total average weight lifted | 2582.8 kg | 2171.5 kg |
| Blood lactic acid before/after lifting | 1.1/4.2 | 1.1/3.8 |
Adapted from Mosher et al (4)
The athletes were able to lift weight with higher repetitions and 18.9% more weight with the beet juice supplement compared to placebo. The authors described that beet juice supplementation can increase exercise tolerance and performance but longer term studies are needed.