Want to increase muscle force during exercise? Try beetroot juice instead of protein shakes and pre-workout
By Team Newsable | First Published Jan 25, 2023, 8:23 PM ISTBeetroot and other nitrate-rich vegetables have been related to greater endurance. Nitrates are molecules that increase blood flow and oxygen levels throughout the body.
If pre-workout beverages or protein smoothies upset your stomach and are not your go-to drink before hitting the gym for your fitness session, fret not. Beetroot juice, according to research, considerably boosts muscle force, enabling you to lift larger objects and complete more repetitions.
Beetroot and other nitrate-rich vegetables have been related to greater endurance. Nitrates are molecules that increase blood flow and oxygen levels throughout the body.
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Ten healthy guys in their early 20s were enrolled in the most recent study by researchers from Exeter University in the UK.
Before the trial, they were instructed to consume a diet low in nitrates for three days, which would have included avoiding green vegetables.
They were subsequently split into two groups, each getting a pre-workout beverage containing nitrates equivalent to 4.7 fluid ounces (fl. oz.) of beet juice for half of the participants.
The remaining patients received a placebo beverage with a fake powder. Neither party knew if they had received the genuine powder.
The researchers concluded that there was no visual, olfactory, or gustatory difference between the drinks.
After warming up, the participants performed one exercise three hours later.
Participants engaged their quadriceps, a sizable muscle at the front of the upper thigh, 60 times while their dominant leg was fastened to a machine's lever. They had to contract the muscle throughout the experiment without moving their leg.
The force applied by the muscles during contraction was measured by researchers using electrical pulses.
The torque produced by participants was discovered to be 7% higher in the pre-workout drink group.
Additionally, muscle samples from the leg were taken before, during, and after the exercise to measure the nitrate levels in the tissue.
Researchers discovered that persons who consumed the nitrate drink had higher nitrate levels in their muscles than those who did not.
Nitrates in the body can aid in blood vessel dilation, increasing the quantity of oxygen reaching muscles.
Dr Barbara Piknova, a staff scientist at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases in the US, said, "This study provides the first direct evidence that muscle nitrate levels are important for exercise performance, presumably by acting as a source of nitric oxide."
"These results have significant implications not only for the exercise field, but possibly for other medical areas such as those targeting neuromuscular and metabolic diseases related to nitric oxide deficiency," she added.
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Meanwhile, Dr Andy Jones, a physiologist at the University of Exeter, said, "Our research has already provided a large body of evidence on the performance-enhancing properties of dietary nitrate, commonly found in beetroot juice. Excitingly, this latest study provides the best evidence to date on the mechanisms behind why dietary nitrate improves human muscle performance."
Apart from beetroot juice, other foods rich in nitrate are: spinach, lettuce, bok choy, carrots, ham and bacon.
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