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Influence of beetroot juice supplementation on intermittent exercise performance
Lee J Wylie1, Stephen J Bailey1, James Kelly1
1Sport and Health Sciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, St. Luke's Campus, University of Exeter, Heavitree Road, Exeter, Devon, EX1 2LU, UK.
Beetroot juice (BR) supplementation enhanced performance in short, intense exercise bursts with brief recovery. However, it did not improve performance during longer intervals or extended recovery periods.
Area of Science:
- Exercise Physiology
- Nutritional Science
- Sports Performance
Background:
- Dietary nitrate (NO3-) supplementation, particularly from beetroot juice (BR), is investigated for its potential ergogenic effects.
- Understanding the impact of NO3- on high-intensity intermittent exercise is crucial for athletic performance optimization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test if nitrate (NO3-) supplementation improves performance in high-intensity intermittent exercise with varying work and recovery intervals.
- To evaluate the ergogenic potential of beetroot juice (BR) in different exercise protocols.
Main Methods:
- Ten male team-sport players participated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study.
- Participants underwent high-intensity intermittent cycling tests after 5-day supplementation with either nitrate-rich beetroot juice (BR) or nitrate-depleted beetroot juice (PL).
- Exercise protocols included: 24 × 6-s sprints with 24 s recovery, 7 × 30-s sprints with 240 s recovery, and 6 × 60-s efforts with 60 s recovery.
Main Results:
- Plasma nitrite levels were significantly higher (+237%) following BR supplementation.
- Mean power output was significantly greater with BR compared to PL in the 24 × 6-s protocol (P < 0.05).
- No significant differences in mean power output were observed between BR and PL for the 7 × 30-s and 6 × 60-s protocols (P > 0.05).
- Increased blood lactate was observed with BR during the 24 × 6-s and 7 × 30-s protocols (P < 0.05), but not the 6 × 60-s protocol.
Conclusions:
- Beetroot juice (BR) may offer ergogenic benefits for repeated short-duration, maximal-intensity exercise bouts with short recovery periods.
- The ergogenic effect of BR may be limited during longer exercise intervals or when longer recovery durations are employed.
- These findings suggest that BR supplementation could enhance performance in specific types of intermittent exercise relevant to team sports.
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