Beet juice more effective than ‘any other known means’ of enhancing mitochondrial oxygen utilization & physical stamina; lowers blood pressure too   (93 votes) ProHealth.com • August 7, 2009 Tweet previous article next article “We were amazed by the effects of beet juice on oxygen uptake because these effects [including a 16% boost in cyclists’ endurance, at greater speed] cannot be achieved by any other known means, including training.” – Prof. Andrew Jones, University of Exeter Get to the farmer’s market & plug in that juicer. Drinking beet juice (beetroot in the UK) boosts your stamina and could help you exercise for up to 16% longer, says a University of Exeter-led study, published Aug 6 in the Journal of Applied Physiology(1). The research shows for the first time how the nitrate contained in beetroot juice leads to a reduction in oxygen uptake, making exercise less tiring. The study reveals, in fact, that drinking beet juice reduces oxygen uptake to an extent that cannot be achieved by any other known means, including training. The research team believes that the findings could be of great interest to endurance athletes. They could also be relevant to elderly people or those with cardiovascular, respiratory or metabolic diseases. The research team conducted their study with eight men aged between 19 and 38. They were given 500ml per day [about a pint] of organic beet juice for six consecutive days before completing a series of tests, involving cycling on an exercise bike. On another occasion, they were given a placebo of blackcurrant cordial for six consecutive days before completing the same cycling tests. After drinking beet juice the group was able to cycle for an average of 11.25 minutes, which is 92 seconds longer than when they were given the placebo. This would translate into an approximate 2% reduction in the time taken to cover a set distance. The group that had consumed the beetroot juice also had lower resting blood pressure. [This study follows research published Feb. 2008 in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension – see “Research shows daily dose of beet juice can beat high blood pressure.”] The researchers are not yet sure of the exact mechanism that causes the nitrate in the beet juice to boost stamina. However, they suspect it could be a result of the nitrate turning into nitric oxide in the body, reducing the oxygen cost of exercise. The researchers, at the University of Exeter and Peninsula Medical School, now hope to conduct further studies to understand in more detail the effects of nitrate-rich foods on exercise physiology. Corresponding author of the study, Professor Andy Jones of the University of Exeter's School of Sport and Health Sciences, said: "Our study is the first to show that nitrate-rich food can increase exercise endurance. We were amazed by the effects of beet juice on oxygen uptake because these effects cannot be achieved by any other known means, including training. “I am sure professional and amateur athletes will be interested in the results of this research. I am also keen to explore the relevance of the findings to those people who suffer from poor fitness and may be able to use dietary supplements to help them go about their daily lives." ____ 1. “Dietary nitrate supplementation reduces the O2 cost of low-intensity exercise and enhances tolerance to high-intensity exercise in humans,” Stephen J Baily, Andrew M Jones, et al. Source: University of Exeter, Aug 6, 2009

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Beet juice & stamina study
Posted by: Circe Aug 12, 2009	Was this review helpful?     49
I would like to know how blackcurrent cordial can be considered to be a placebo. Surely the cordial used in the study was not an alcoholic species of cordial!? A cordial, by definition, is a stimulant. Aren't cordials full of sugars? How do the researchers know that the blackcurrent cordial does not have properties that affect stamina positively or negatively? I will remain singularly underwhelmed by this study until that issue is cleared up. Does anybody have any answers? Cordially, Jane
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beet juice...
Posted by: victoria Oct 1, 2009	Was this review helpful?     48
I've always been told to drink such juices sparingly since I am hypoglycemic, which leads me to these questions: --Couldn't consuming this every day cause hypoglycemic episodes? --Couldn't a large part of the energy gain be caused by the sugar rise? this was not addressed in the article unfortunately.
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