Beetroots, Nitrates, & Athletic Performance
In sports nutrition research, new supplements and compounds are constantly being tested.
Every now and then, one starts to show real promise.
Beetroot extract, or beetroot juice, is one that fits this bill.
However, what also seems to be the case is that its utility is specific.
So, my aim with this article is to help you understand what it does and where it can help, so that you know whether or not it’s worth it for you.
As always, if you have questions left unanswered, you are welcome to email me at info@FitnessSimplified.org or comment below.
Why Beetroots? How do beetroots help?
Beetroots are a particularly good source of a compound call Nitrates (NO3-). Other common sources include turnip, pomegranate, and dark leafy greens.
At various digestive points, nitrates turn into nitrites (NO2-) and eventually nitric oxide (NO).
Nitric oxide is a powerful vasodilator. This simply means it helps to make your blood vessels wider, which helps blood flow more easily.
If blood can flow more easily, then more oxygen & nutrients can be delivered to bodily tissue.
This delivery of blood, oxygen, and nutrients is the limiting factor for many aspects of exercise and fitness.
It is for this reason that beetroots and other sources of nitrates have become a topic of investigation.
So, let’s discuss some areas where beetroot extract or nitrate supplementation.
Effects on strength training
A 2016 study gave subjects a beet-derived supplement containing 400 mg of nitrates or a placebo.
The subjects then performed 3 sets of bench press at 60% of their 1-repetition maximum with 2 minutes of rest in between.
They found that the group taking the beet derived nitrate supplement performed 18.9% more total reps throughout the 3 sets than the group taking the placebo.
Why would this happen?
The process of recovery in between sets of strength training is entirely dependent on aerobic energy systems (aerobic = requires oxygen).
The group taking the nitrate supplement experienced more vasodilation, which allowed more oxygen to be delivered during rest periods.
This results in improved rest-period recovery and produces better performance in following sets.
Effects on interval training
Interval training involves alternations between higher intensity bouts and lower intensity bouts, often described as work-to-rest ratios.
In these cases, the rest period is not true rest; simply a lower intensity effort than the work bout.
There are multiple ways you can structure the durations of the work-to-rest ratios depending on the goal of the training.
Beetroot & nitrate supplements seem to have benefit here, but only in specific situations.
Various studies have looked at this, and what seems to be the consensus is the following:
Beetroot & nitrate supplements can benefit interval sessions that have a work duration of 6-15 seconds with shorter rest durations (25-30 seconds).
Once the durations of the bouts (especially the work bout) start to become longer, there is less of a benefit.
To understand why requires a brief understanding of energy systems.
Shorter work bouts are more dependent on the creatine-phosphate system.
Replenishment of this energy system is largely dependent on aerobic energy production through the oxidative-phosphorylation system.
Longer work intervals become more dependent on glycolytic energy production; which is independent of oxygen needs.
For a better understanding of what all this means, click here.
Effects on endurance & cardiorespiratory fitness
A person’s endurance is most commonly a result of better oxygen delivery to the working muscles and more efficient utilization of fuel.
Since beetroot & nitrate supplements have a vasodilation effect, allowing oxygen and nutrients to flow through the blood stream more easily, an interest has grown in the research as to whether this would result in performance improvements.
A 2022 systematic review and meta-analysis looked at 73 different trials examining the relationship between beetroot & nitrate supplements and endurance performance.
Their results are summed up as follows:
Supplementation improved average power output, time to exhaustion, and distance travelled
Supplementation did not improve perceived effort, lactate generation, or VO2max (max volume of oxygen used for work
Supplementation decrease the oxygen cost of exercise, meaning more work could be done with less oxygen
This could explain the greater distance travelled without increase in VO2max
So, any sport or form of exercise that is limited by oxygen consumption can likely benefit from beetroot & nitrate supplements, including:
Running
Cycling
Swimming
Triathlon
Beetroot & nitrate dosage: how much should you take?
To my knowledge as I write this, there is no research yet on optimal dosing strategies.
In the research cited previously, there is great variance.
Some studies using a daily supplementation strategy, others used single-doses pre-training. Both have shown performance enhancements.
Overall doses range from 200 mg of nitrates to 800 mg of nitrates.
In this study, they looked at beetroot’s effects on blood pressure in people with hypertension.
One group was given 400 mg every other day, another was given 400 mg every day, and the third group was given 800 mg daily.
All improved symptoms & endothelial function, but there was no differences between groups in terms of the magnitude of improvement.
So, it’s likely that 400 mg or less is what’s needed to see benefit.
When should you take beetroot & nitrate supplements?
Again, there is not a clear answer here yet.
However, the most likely best strategy is the following:
On the days you are training, 60-120 minutes before the session starts
On days you are not training, it probably does not matter
It still is unclear if there is a benefit to taking it everyday or just before training
Conclusion
That sums up what you need to know about beetroots, nitrates, and performance.
As always, feel free to email me at info@FitnessSimplified.org or comment below with any questions.
