Effect of Beetroot Juice Supplementation on Mood, Perceived Exertion, and Performance During a 30-Second Wingate Test

Dietary supplementation with inorganic nitrate (NO3-) can enhance high-intensity exercise performance by improving skeletal muscle contractility and metabolism, but the extent to which this might be linked to altered psychophysiological processes is presently unclear. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of NO3--rich beetroot juice (BJ) supplementation on profile of mood states, ratings of perceived exertion (RPE), and performance in a 30-second Wingate cycle test.

In a double-blind, randomized, cross-over study, 15 subjects completed 2 laboratory sessions after ingesting NO3--rich or NO3--depleted (placebo) BJ. Participants initially completed the profile of mood states questionnaire. Subsequently, participants completed a warm-up followed by a 30-second all-out Wingate cycling test. After the Wingate test, participants immediately indicated the RPE of their leg muscles (RPEmuscular), cardiovascular system (RPEcardio), and general RPE (RPEgeneral).

Compared with the placebo condition, supplementation with BJ increased peak power output (Wpeak) (+4.4%, 11.5 [0.7] vs 11.1 [1.0] W·kg-1; P = .039) and lowered the time taken to reach Wpeak (7.3 [0.9] vs 8.7 [1.5] s; P = .002) during the Wingate test. The profile of mood states score linked to tension was increased prior to the Wingate test (4.8 [3.0] vs 3.4 [2.4]; P = .040), and RPEmuscular was lowered immediately following the Wingate test (17.7 [1.6] vs 18.3 [1.0]; P = .031), after BJ compared with placebo ingestion.

Acute BJ supplementation improved pre-exercise tension, 30-second Wingate test performance, and lowered postexercise RPEmuscular.