Frontiers in Nutrition: Beetroot juice improves vascular function during exercise better than supplements

Beetroot juice stimulates nitrate formation during exercise better than supplements. This is reported by the authors of a review study published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition.

Nitrate supplements for exercising individuals may improve muscle contractility, vascular function, and exercise performance. These effects are thought to be related to increased production of nitric oxide in the body, a substance that lowers blood pressure and regulates various physiological processes. Leafy greens and beetroot contain large amounts of substances that can be converted into nitric oxide.

As the authors of the new paper, who analysed published studies, found out, beetroot juice can be more effective than nitrate supplements in high-intensity exercise. Thus, it may allow a person to exercise longer without fatigue. Some experiments show that beetroot juice increases the efficiency of mitochondria, the energy stations of cells. It is also possible that the components of beetroot juice, polyphenols, increase the bioavailability of nitrates in the body.