Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Beet-It! Drinking beetroot juice increases stamina

First it was spinach, then coconut water… and now the humble beetroot has been hailed THE superfood to watch out for.

Hardly surprising considering its track record - it's proven to improve cardiovascular health, keep illness and infection at bay and enhance sporting performance.

Breakthrough research by the University of Exeter, published in the journal of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise found that competitive-level cyclists who drank beetroot juice were able to cut down the time it took to ride a given distance.

Researchers studied nine club-level male cyclists, who drank half a litre of beetroot juice before competing in two separate time trials.

The cyclists consumed real beetroot juice before the first trial and, unbeknown to the cyclists, a 'placebo' beetroot juice before the second trial.

A critical ingredient, nitrate, had been removed from the 'placebo' beetroot juice.

Results showed that the riders who consumed the real beetroot juice were an average of 11 seconds quicker over 4 kilometres and 45 seconds quicker over 16.1 kilometres.

The study, which used British brand BEET IT beetroot juice, concluded that the cyclists could attribute their increased stamina to the naturally high levels of Nitric Oxide (NO) found in beetroot.

Firstly, the Nitric Oxide triggers a chemical reaction which leads to the dilation of blood vessels to increase blood flow.

Secondly, it affects muscle tissue, reducing the amount of oxygen required by muscles during physical exertion. Combined, beetroot juice is the perfect all-natural energy hit to ensure peak performance at any sporting level.

To read more about the benefits of beetroot check on the Beet-it website.

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