Spinach made the famous cartoon character Popeye stronger. I eat spinach all the time, but I can't say that I am able to lift more weight. However, if you are looking for a stamina boost, increasing the amount of time to reach fatigue, and potentially finishing your race faster than you ever have before, then drinking nitrate-rich beetroot juice could be the "Popeye boost" you have been searching for.
Here is a brief synopsis of a recent study and the truly amazing results found in August's edition of the Journal of Applied Physiology:
- 8 active, male participants (average age of 27) drank .5L (500 mL) of organic beetroot juice everyday for 6 days.
- Participants were then asked to cycle at various moderate-exercise intensities as well as a severe-intensity test to test the participants time to fatigue.
- Subjects also completed these tests again, but drank blackcurrant juice instead, which is low in nitrate concentration.
- Researchers were testing the effects of dietary nitrate ingestion and its effects on exercise tolerance and oxygen cost of exercise.
- Beetroot Juice increased plasma NO2 levels by 96%
- Systolic Blood Pressure decreased on average by 6 mmHg.
- Significantly reduced the cost of oxygen use by nearly 20% at moderate exercise intensities.
- Increased the time to fatigue (or failure) by 16% at a high intensity bout enabling the participants to exercise more than a 90 seconds longer.
Why is this important? Beetroot juice's potential athletic advantage can not be achieved through exercise. How exactly beetroot juice is able to do this remains unclear, but the results of this study are remarkable. Exercise may actually feel easier, less tiring, and potentially enhance performance (decreasing times) without putting in more training hours. Any naturally obtained advantage is a good advantage.
If you do decide to drink beetroot juice, please be aware that subjects did experience beeturia - red urine and red stools.
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