Can Beet Juice Boost Your Endurance?
In a research study conducted by University of Exeter, published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, runners who drank 0.5 L (16.9 oz) per day of beet juice (sometimes called beet root juice) for 6 days demonstrated a 15% increase in time-to-exhaustion in severe intensity running. The theory is that the high nitrate content in the beet juice reduces blood pressure and the oxygen required to exercise at a given level of intensity.
I recently tried some beet juice to see if it would improve my endurance. Beet juice is expensive, costing about $7 for a 0.5 L bottle. To drink a bottle a day for 6 days,as they did in the research study, would cost over $40. I opted to try drinking just one bottle the day before a long run.
I like beets, but beet juice doesn’t taste very good. It’s tough to drink a whole bottle at one sitting. It also turns your urine pink, making it difficult to tell if you are drinking enough water.
After drinking beet juice, I didn’t notice any improvement in my endurance during my long run. My heart rate was about the same as it usually is and my effort level was about the same for the speed I was running.
I don’t think beet beet juice is a “magic elixir” that will have you running marathons with ease, it’s kind of expensive, and additional research is needed to determine whether it really has an effect and why.
Have you tried beet juice? Did it help improve your endurance? Tell me in the comments.
Related Posts:
Beetroot Juice Might Help You Run Farther - Just Don’t Spill It
Drink Tart Cherry Juice for Faster Workout Recovery
Tart Cherry Juice Fuels Shalane Flanagan’s Marathon Debut
Tart Cherry Protein Recovery Drink Recipe
