There’s no doubt that what you eat affects how your muscles perform. You need carbohydrates to fuel muscle contractions and protein to help your muscles repair. However, a new study confirms what other studies have suggested. Beetroot could give your exercise and muscle performance a boost.
What is beetroot? It’s a vegetable, usually red or dark purple in color, round or oval, and with a sweet and earthy flavor. You can enjoy its nutritional goodness raw, cooked, or pickled, and is an excellent source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. But there may be more to the humble beetroot than meets the eye. Researchers at the University of Exeter and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) point out that the nitrates in beetroot boost muscle strength.
What the Study Showed
To reach this conclusion, the researchers traced the distribution of nitrates (like those in beetroot) and how they distribute in bodily components, including blood, muscle, saliva, and urine in ten volunteers. Then, they asked the subjects to do 60 intense quadriceps contractions on an exercise machine. Their findings? Those who took nitrates experienced a 7% boost in muscle force compared to those who did not take nitrates.
Why Nitrates in Beetroot Boost Muscle Force
It’s clear that beetroot is nutrient dense but how could it boost muscle performance? When you add beetroot to a smoothie or take beetroot extract, your body converts the nitrates to nitric oxide (NO), a volatile gas. Nitric oxide is a signaling molecule that regulates important biological processes, including blood flow, blood pressure, and oxygen delivery.
The conversion of nitrates to nitric oxide begins with the action of oral bacteria on the nitrates. Then the nitrates are distributed to various tissues where the tissues convert them to nitric oxide. The increase in nitric oxide levels from consuming nitrates leads to several physiological effects, including increased blood flow, improved exercise performance, and reduced inflammation.
Briefly, here are the benefits nitric oxide has on your body:
- Relaxes smooth muscle cells in blood vessels, causing vasodilation and increased blood flow.
- Inhibits platelet aggregation, reducing the risk of blood clots.
- Regulates blood pressure.
- Suppresses inflammation and oxidative stress.
- Promotes angiogenesis and wound healing.
So nitric oxide from beetroot nitrates is beneficial to your body in ways that go beyond muscle strength. Beetroot is popular among athletes and bodybuilders because it boosts blood flow and oxygen delivery to muscles, reduces the oxygen cost of exercise, and delays fatigue. Some studies show that beetroot supplementation can enhance endurance exercise and high-intensity exercise, leading to its popularity as a dietary supplement among athletes and bodybuilders.
However, preliminary research shows other potential benefits for various organs of the body:
Heart health
Beetroot is rich in antioxidants, free radical fighters that support heart health. They support the health of tissues and organs, including the heart, by reducing oxidative stress and protecting blood vessels from oxidative damage. Studies find that consuming beetroot juice daily can reduce signs of inflammation in blood vessels, which is known to be increased in people with coronary heart disease. Plus, nitric oxide produced when you eat beetroot helps lower blood pressure. Studies have found that drinking beetroot juice can significantly reduce blood pressure in people with high blood pressure.
Brain function
Some studies find that beetroot improves cognitive function and could delay the onset of age-related cognitive decline. Research reveals that beetroot increases blood flow to the brain, like exercise, and boosts oxygen delivery to brain tissue. Therefore, it could be beneficial for cognitive function and slowing brain aging. Plus, it has a sweet and earthy flavor, which you can enjoy at any time.
Inflammation
Beetroot is a natural anti-inflammatory that helps reduce inflammation and oxidative stress. Inflammation is often the root cause of many chronic health problems. It can manifest itself in the form of pain, swelling, and discomfort, and can be caused by a variety of factors including certain foods, environmental toxins, and even stress. Chronic low-grade inflammation contributes to serious health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, and even some forms of cancer. Beetroot is a food that helps fight inflammation.
Liver health
Beetroot may help protect the liver from damage and improve liver function. Studies show that beetroot methanolic extract improves liver inflammatory markers, while beetroot supplementation has been linked to a reduction in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
How to Enjoy the Benefits of Beetroot
If you enjoy the taste of beetroot, you’re in luck. It will be easy for you to get the health benefits this veggie offers. You could eat cooked beets and benefit from their high levels of natural nitrates. For example, add beetroot to your diet through soups, salads, smoothies, or baked goods. Be aware that cooking may reduce the nitrate content of beetroot.
Another option is to drink beetroot juice, a more concentrated source of nitrates. This would likely provide more benefits since you’re getting more nitrates. Finally, you could take a beetroot supplement in the form of a dried powder or capsule. If you choose this route, it’s best to consult with your physician first to endure it won’t interfere with the medications you’re taking.
Conclusion
Beetroot could be a healthy addition to your diet due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. Plus, it has the added perk of being high in nitrates which can benefit muscle strength by boosting nitric oxide. Best of all, you don’t have to take a supplement to get the benefits. You can benefit by drinking beetroot juice. Eating whole beetroot may offer benefits too but they are a less concentrated source of this muscle-enhancing food.
References:
- Stefan Kadach, Ji Won Park, Zdravko Stoyanov, Matthew I. Black, Anni Vanhatalo, Mark Burnley, Peter J. Walter, Hongyi Cai, Alan N. Schechter, Barbora Piknova, Andrew M. Jones. 15 N ‐labeled dietary nitrate supplementation increases human skeletal muscle nitrate concentration and improves muscle torque production. Acta Physiologica, 2023; DOI: 10.1111/apha.13924.
- Srivastava S, Siddiqi Z, Singh T, Bala L. Beetroot Supplementation on Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Patients. Current Research in Nutrition and Food Science Journal. 2019;7(1):96-101. Accessed January 28, 2023. https://www.foodandnutritionjournal.org/volume7number1/beetroot-supplementation-on-non-alcoholic-fatty-liver-disease-patients/
- Petrie M, Rejeski WJ, Basu S, Laurienti PJ, Marsh AP, Norris JL, Kim-Shapiro DB, Burdette JH. Beet Root Juice: An Ergogenic Aid for Exercise and the Aging Brain. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2017 Sep 1;72(9):1284-1289. doi: 10.1093/gerona/glw219. PMID: 28329785; PMCID: PMC5861951.
- British Heart Foundation. Daily beetroot juice could help people with common heart condition. Bhf.org.uk. Published September 6, 2022. Accessed January 28, 2023. https://www.bhf.org.uk/what-we-do/news-from-the-bhf/news-archive/2022/june/daily-beetroot-juice-could-help-people-with-common-heart-condition#:~:text=A%20regular%20glass%20of%20beetroot,Cardiovascular%20Society%20conference%20in%20Manchester.
- Zelman KM. The Truth About Beet Juice. WebMD. Published January 3, 2011. Accessed January 28, 2023. https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/truth-about-beetroot-juice
- Jones T, Dunn EL, Macdonald JH, Kubis HP, McMahon N, Sandoo A. The Effects of Beetroot Juice on Blood Pressure, Microvascular Function and Large-Vessel Endothelial Function: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Study in Healthy Older Adults. Nutrients. 2019 Aug 2;11(8):1792. doi: 10.3390/nu11081792. PMID: 31382524; PMCID: PMC6722817.
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