Beetroot
Benefits Stamina and Endurance
Here's some news that's
going to set the exercise world back on its ear. The news that the vegetable
beetroot benefits a athletes endurance and stamina.
A University of Exeter
team has discovered that the nitrates in beetroot juice lead to a reduction in
oxygen uptake, this in turn makes working out less tiring so you can exercise
longer.
And, the researchers say,
the effect is greater than what you get from any other known means, including
regular training.
Athletes who need
endurance for their sport will be thrilled, but the findings are also welcome
news for elderly patients or those dealing with cardiovascular, respiratory or
metabolic diseases.
The intriguing research
focused on eight male subjects, ranging in age from 19-38, who were given 500
ml of organic beetroot juice a day for 6 days in a row.
They then had to complete
a series of tests that involved cycling on an exercise bike. As a control, the
subjects were given a placebo of blackcurrant cordial for an additional six
consecutive days before having to do the same cycling tests.
When they drank the
beetroot juice, subjects could cycle an average of 11.25 minutes. This was 92
seconds longer than when they drank the placebo juice.
This works out to about a
2% reduction in the time it takes to cover a set distance, or being able to add
about ten minutes to your regular workout.
When asked to cycle at an
easy pace, the subjects were found to use less oxygen after drinking the
beetroot juice than with the placebo juice, which means the muscles of the body
were able to do the same amount of work, but expend less energy.
The juice might actually
help you exercise for as much as 16% longer.
Fitness experts know that
you surely improve your fitness level with exercise and have always believed
the oxygen uptake of the body remains fixed, meaning that a conditioned athlete
and the man on the street would have identical oxygen uptakes at the same
intensity of physical activity.
Yet the Exeter team found
differing oxygen uptake readings in subjects who drank beetroot juice before
exercise.
No one knows how the
nitrate in the juice boosts stamina, but the researchers suspect it could be
that the nitrate (especially concentrated in juice form) in the juice turns
into nitric oxide in the body.
This causes peripheral
blood vessels to dilate which improves the oxygen supply to the muscles and
impacts how much oxygen is burned up while the body is exercising.
The nitrates can also
improve the efficiency of muscle contraction during an exercise session.
What's more, beetroot
juice has been shown to lower blood pressure, and when the subjects in this
latest study drank the juice they also had lower resting blood pressure
readings.
This data supports
research from the London School of Medicine and the Peninsula Medical School,
appearing in the February 2008 issue of the journal Hypertension that found
beetroot juice brought down high blood pressure.
The research is published
in the Journal of Applied Physiology. While more work is needed, it's hard to
deny the good-for-you benefits of nitrate rich fruits and veggies; these foods
might just be the way to a healthy cardiovascular system. Beetroot juice carries
nitrates just like some green, leafy veggies you may know like lettuce and
spinach, though the juice form is considered especially beneficial to the body.
While beetroot juice
isn't something you're likely to see at your local supermarket, you can find it
in some health food shops or online sources.
Understand too that the
amounts used in the research, 500-ml or just under a pint a day, are quite
high, and the "earthy tang" of this nutrient rich juice isn't for
everyone.
You might want to start
with a small amount, diluted 4:1 with water or try some of the many recipes for
combination juices to see what you prefer, and how these beetroot benefits can
impacts your workout.
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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Kirsten_Whittaker/10824
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