Running along the trails during the autumn is a real joy - the temperature is just about right and the vibrant colours of the leaves are magical. I love the way the colours are reflected in the seasonal fruits and vegetables, the shops and markets are a patchwork of reds, oranges and yellows. It was this tree in particular that provided inspiration for this blog, its flame red leaves seeming to me to be so redolent of beetroot.
Beetroots (along with several green vegetables) are an excellent source of what are termed dietary nitrates which have proved of great interest not just in general health terms, but also in the context of delivering improvements during the course of exercise.
Before we get onto the benefits of these nitrates we need to understand some of the science underpinning these claims and the key component to this is nitric oxide (NO). Nitric oxide NO is produced naturally in our bodies by 2 pathways - the conversion of the dietary nitrates to nitric oxide being the most dominant. (When we exercise we actually create an environment in the muscle cells that actively encourages the conversion of dietary nitrates to NO).
NO plays a really important role in a host of biochemical pathways. It is commonly described as a vasodilator which literally means it opens up your blood vessels, allowing greater blood flow and has been shown to reduce elevated blood pressure (ref 1). As the amount of blood reaching the cells increases, this means that more oxygen is delivered to the cells too. When we exercise our muscle cells use up oxygen at a greater rate, so anything (hello ✋ NO) that can meet these enhanced needs will keep our muscles working more efficiently.
Not only does NO act as a vasodilator it has several other tricks up its sleeve -your muscles contract more efficiently, they make energy more efficiently and they take up glucose more efficiently.
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In a word YES!
As I mentioned earlier, NO can reduce blood pressure naturally thus potentially obviating the need for medication - which has got to be a good thing!
Lots of studies (mainly with endurance athletes, such as cyclists and runners) show that beetroot juice significantly improves skeletal muscle efficiency and enhances endurance performance (ref 2). In other words, you can cycle/run harder and/or longer before you reach exhaustion.
Is it good for anything else apart from long-distance activities?
Yes!
Sport scientists have also worked with sprinters and found they can run faster (ref 3) and also resistance training - dietary nitrates lead to a faster rate of muscle development and greater power. So if you workout in the gym, or have weights at home dietary nitrate could be of benefit too.
So, having (hopefully) convinced you of the benefits of dietary nitrates, the next questions to be addressed are; "how should I be taking them?”” How much do I need?” and “When should I take them?"
How should I be taking them?
There are 2 main ways of getting your dietary nitrates; either from eating vegetables that are naturally abundant such as leeks, lettuce and rocket or from sports products. If you like your veg (which I hope you do) you don't have to do anything fancy to them or measure out specific amounts - including them in your meals will give you sufficient nitrate.
Alternatively choose beetroot containing products such as beetroot juice or flapjack/granola bars. There are LOADS of beetroot juice products in the sporting market, in fact it is one of only a handful of evidenced-based supplements recognised by the IOC and IAAF. (Disclaimer: I always advise my clients to choose wherever possible products that have been approved by Informed Sport. This ensures that the products have been properly tested for banned substances and the products actually contain what the manufacturers claim).
How much do I need?
400 mg nitrates per 70 mls - this will give you the right amount to actually obtain sporting benefit. Any less than that isn’t enough and so you are effectively wasting your money.
When should I take beetroot juice?
It takes about 2 hours for the nitrate to be converted to nitric oxide so ideally you would take your beetroot shot 1-3 hours before training. If you have entered a competition then take 1 shot (i.e. 70 mls) for up to 6 days pre-competition to really maximise your nitrate stores.
If you are engaging in exercise lasting longer than 120 mins then take a "top-up" shot after an hour to help maintain the benefits of the extra nitric oxide.
MAIN TAKE HOME MESSAGES
Dietary nitrates can enhance both endurance and strength performance.
The nitrates get converted into nitric oxide and this helps the muscles work more efficiently so you can train harder, faster and for longer.
You can obtain sufficient nitrate from either eating vegetables naturally containing high levels of nitrates or sports drinks or bars.
Excellent sources of nitrates are found in beetroot and green vegetables such as rocket, celery and leeks.
Dietary nitrates are one of the few supplements endorsed by the IOC and IAAF as there is strong evidence to support their use.
Beetroot juice is available in commercially produced sports products such as concentrated shots and bars.
The sports products need to contain 400 mg/70 ml beetroot juice in order for them to work.
- Take them 1-2 hours before training, up to 6 days before a competition and have a top-up shot after 60 mins if the exercise lasts longer than 120 mins.
- Ashworth A, Mitchell K, Blackwell JR, Vanhatalo A, Jones AM. High-nitrate vegetable diet increases plasma nitrate and nitrite concentrations and reduces blood pressure in healthy women. Public Health Nutr. 2015 Oct: 18(14):2669-78
- Pawlak-Chaouch M, Boissiere J, Gamelin FX, Cuvelier G, Berthoin S, Aucouturier J. Effect of dietary nitrate supplementation on metabolic rate during rest and exercise in humans: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Nitric Oxide. 2016 65-76
- Hernandez et al Faster rate of force development in type II muscle 2012 and Coggan et al Greater power (Pmax) and velocity (Vmax) of knee extensor contraction 2015
Fascinating thank you
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