Ingestion of 140 and 280 ml of beetroot juice reduced steady-state oxygen uptake and extended time-to-task failure by 14% and 12% (both P<0.05) compared with placebo.
RCT (n=10)
Balanced crossover
Does concentrated beetroot juice improve physiological responses to exercise and exercise tolerance in healthy men?
Ingestion of 140 ml or 280 ml of nitrate-rich beetroot juice dose-dependently increases plasma nitrite and reduces the oxygen cost of moderate-intensity exercise, improving exercise tolerance in healthy men.
p-value: p=<0.05
Dietary supplementation with beetroot juice (BR), containing approximately 5-8 mmol inorganic nitrate (NO3(-)), increases plasma nitrite concentration (NO2(-)), reduces blood pressure, and may positively influence the physiological responses to exercise. However, the dose-response relationship between the volume of BR ingested and the physiological effects invoked has not been investigated. In a balanced crossover design, 10 healthy men ingested 70, 140, or 280 ml concentrated BR (containing 4.2, 8.4, and 16.8 mmol NO3(-), respectively) or no supplement to establish the effects of BR on resting plasma NO3(-) and NO2(-) over 24 h. Subsequently, on six separate occasions, 10 subjects completed moderate-intensity and severe-intensity cycle exercise tests, 2.5 h postingestion of 70, 140, and 280 ml BR or NO3(-)-depleted BR as placebo (PL). Following acute BR ingestion, plasma NO2(-) increased in a dose-dependent manner, with the peak changes occurring at approximately 2-3 h. Compared with PL, 70 ml BR did not alter the physiological responses to exercise. However, 140 and 280 ml BR reduced the steady-state oxygen (O2) uptake during moderate-intensity exercise by 1.7% (P = 0.06) and 3.0% (P < 0.05), whereas time-to-task failure was extended by 14% and 12% (both P < 0.05), respectively, compared with PL. The results indicate that whereas plasma NO2(-) and the O2 cost of moderate-intensity exercise are altered dose dependently with NO3(-)-rich BR, there is no additional improvement in exercise tolerance after ingesting BR containing 16.8 compared with 8.4 mmol NO3(-). These findings have important implications for the use of BR to enhance cardiovascular health and exercise performance in young adults.
Wylie et al. (2013) conducted an RCT in Healthy (n=10). Concentrated beetroot juice vs. Nitrate-depleted beetroot juice (placebo) or no supplement was evaluated on Steady-state oxygen (O2) uptake during moderate-intensity exercise and time-to-task failure (p=<0.05). Ingestion of 140 and 280 ml of beetroot juice reduced steady-state oxygen uptake and extended time-to-task failure by 14% and 12% (both P<0.05) compared with placebo.