Out of the Lab Onto the Track

Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover studies convinced the scientific establishment that nitrate-rich vegetables such as beets could noticeably improve athletic performance.

February 16, 2012

Volume 7

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- athletes beet juice beets beverages cycling energy exercise juice metabolism mitochondria muscle health muscle strength sports medicine vegetables
Supplementary Info
Sources Cited

Lansley KE, Winyard PG, Bailey SJ, Vanhatalo A, Wilkerson DP, Blackwell JR, Gilchrist M, Benjamin N, Jones AM. Acute dietary nitrate supplementation improves cycling time trial performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2011 Jun;43(6):1125-31. Lansley KE, Winyard PG, Fulford J, Vanhatalo A, Bailey SJ, Blackwell JR, DiMenna FJ, Gilchrist M, Benjamin N, Jones AM. Dietary nitrate supplementation reduces the O2 cost of walking and running: a placebo-controlled study. J Appl Physiol. 2011 Mar;110(3):591-600. Epub 2010 Nov 11. Bailey SJ, Fulford J, Vanhatalo A, Winyard PG, Blackwell JR, DiMenna FJ, Wilkerson DP, Benjamin N, Jones AM. Dietary nitrate supplementation enhances muscle contractile efficiency during knee-extensor exercise in humans. J Appl Physiol. 2010 Jul;109(1):135-48. Epub 2010 May 13. Larsen FJ, Weitzberg E, Lundberg JO, Ekblom B. Dietary nitrate reduces maximal oxygen consumption while maintaining work performance in maximal exercise. Free Radic Biol Med. 2010 Jan 15;48(2):342-7. Epub 2009 Nov 12. Larsen FJ, Schiffer TA, Borniquel S, Sahlin K, Ekblom B, Lundberg JO, Weitzberg E. Dietary inorganic nitrate improves mitochondrial efficiency in humans. Cell Metab. 2011 Feb 2;13(2):149-59. Ferreira LF, Behnke BJ. A toast to health and performance! Beetroot juice lowers blood pressure and the O2 cost of exercise. J Appl Physiol. 2011 Mar;110(3):585-6. Epub 2010 Dec 23.
Acknowledgements

Michael Greger M.D.

For an explanation of this boost in the mitochondrial efficiency of human energy extraction, see Priming the proton pump, the second video in my series on the performance-enhancing effects of vegetables. What might be the potential downsides of doping with beets or other nitrite-containing vegetables? Stay tuned for tomorrow’s video of the day. And if you can’t wait until tomorrow for your next NutritionFacts.org video, there are hundreds of other videos on more than a thousand subjects.

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Beech27

So, let’s say that I’d like to apply this research to myself. How much should I drink? How often? When? 2 cups, before running, perhaps?

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Toxins

The participants in the study drank a glass of beat juice 2.5 hours before the activity.

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Elias Masri

hahaha I just dried to chug beet juice, ive had beet juice before (but never alone) and had few side effects except red poop. I drank about half a liter and first I wanted to see my tongue, I was sure it was going to be super red and it was! and about 3 seconds later uhh ohh…i guess it wasnt such a good idea. It came out of me twice as fast as it went in and had me running to the bathroom! any studies on beet juice and a clean colon? ahahah luckily nothing too bad

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  Young infants and perhaps those with recurrent oxalate kidney stones should avoid beets, but most commonly the chief side effect is beeturia, the harmless passage of pink urine, though not all are affected, akin to the malodorous urine ("stinky pee") that sometimes results from asparagus consumption.
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  Beeturia, the passage of pink urine after beetroot consumption, is a reminder that phytonutrients circulate throughout our bloodstream, explaining the connection between "garlic breath" and the use of garlic as an adjunct treatment for pneumonia.
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  The natural flora on our tongue (lingual bacteria) is essential for the athletic performance-enhancing effect of the nitrates in vegetables such as beetroot.
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Out of the Lab Onto the Track

Tags

Supplementary Info

Sources Cited

Acknowledgements

Video Topics

Highest Rated Video for this Topic

Next Up »

Asparagus Pee

Pretty in Pee-nk

Hearts Shouldn’t Skip a Beet

Vegetables Rate by Nitrate

Is Bacon Good or Is Spinach Bad?

« Previous

Don’t Use Antiseptic Mouthwash

Blog from the Author

Latest Nutrition DVD now available (proceeds to charity)