Drinking half a litre – almost a pint – a day for one week enabled test subjects using exercise bikes to cycle for 16 per cent longer before they were tired out, a study found.
It followed earlier research that showed the juice increased endurance.
Now scientists believe they know how the beetroot boost works. The juice doubled the amount of nitrate in the volunteers’ blood and cut the rate at which their muscles used up energy and oxygen, the University of Exeter team said.
‘While our previous research demonstrated the benefits of nitrate-rich beetroot juice on stamina, our latest work indicates this is consequent to a reduced energy cost of muscle force production,’ said study leader Prof Andy Jones.
‘Since our first study came out, we have seen growing interest in the benefits of drinking beetroot juice in the world of professional sport and I expect this study to attract more attention from athletes.’
Prof Jones’ team studied seven healthy men aged 19 to 38, who were asked to complete knee extension exercises while measuring their exertion levels.
Beetroot was found to increase blood nitrate levels and reduce muscle usage of adenosine triphosphate – the body’s chief energy source. The findings are published in the Journal of Applied Physiology.
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