Personal Training Tips: Eat your beetroot
For all those endurance athletes out there, here is an interesting new finding. Beetroot can help you perform faster and for longer!
Recent studies performed in the United States and in the UK, tested the effect of both baked Beetroot and Beetroot juice on running and cycling performance of healthy individuals. The findings have shown that eating and drinking Beetroot prior to exercising can help athletes perform for longer periods and also to finish races faster than with a placebo.
The research
One study had exercisers performing 2x 5kms runs on a treadmill, one run they consumed baked beetroot 1 hour prior to the run and the other they were given the same quantity of cranberry relish which was chosen because it has similar caloric content but does not have the same nitrate levels as Beetroot. It was found that during the last 1.8kms, the running speed was 5% faster during the Beetroot trial.
The other most significant trial tested cycling performance after consuming Beetroot juice versus a blackcurrant placebo drink. This study found that when cycling at an easy pace, the Beetroot group used less oxygen, which suggests that they were able to perform the same intensity and duration of exercise while spending less energy. It was also found that when asked to cycle until they could cycle no longer, the Beetroot group could pedal an additional 1.5minutes until energy was exhausted.
The mechanism behind it?
Beetroots are very high in nitrates. Nitrates have historically been viewed as dangerous additions to our diet that can cause cancer. In the last 10 years there has been a complete shift in how naturally ingested nitrates are viewed. They are now seen as essential nutrients for cardiovascular health due to their ability to form nitric oxide within the body. Nitric oxide has several roles within the body and provides many health benefits, but its main role is to increase circulation through the dilation of blood vessels. This will also help to prevent blood clots and regulate blood pressure.
It is the nitrates which convert to nitric oxide within the body that will lead to improved performance. The increase in nitric oxide will mean that less oxygen is burned up by exercise.
In case that wasn’t enough!
Some other proven benefits of eating Beetroot include;
· Beetroots can help detoxify your liver with its Beta cyanin content
· Beetroot can help to prevent stroke and heart attack – this is due to its regulation of blood pressure through the nitrates
· Beetroot will boost your immune system – Beetroot contains a huge range of nutrients including, vitamin C, Iron, folic acid, phosphorous, magnesium and B6.
· And last an possibly most importantly, Beetroot can make you happier – Beetroot contains betaine which will cause your body to produce more of the mood enhancer, Serotonin.
So get out there and get some Beetroot into you. There are many ways to consume it effectively – in a glass, or baked, or even a big juicy burger… Best bet would be to restrict the amount of times it is accompanied by the rest of the burger though! 🙂
By Drew Duggan
