Are There Health Benefits to Beet Juice?
What Is It?
Beet juice is the juiced form of beets..if you already didn't know that for some reason.
Beets are a naturally occurring plant originally grown in the middle east and traditionally used as a treatment for a variety of medical conditions especially those relating to digestion and of the blood.
How Can Beet Juice Be Useful? (Science)
Full of NATURAL nitrates
Nitrates are converted to a compound called nitric oxide (NO) in the body—> dilates your blood vessels allowing more oxygen to flow to your muscles
More oxygen to your muscles = more energy for your muscles to use
Lowers the "Oxygen Cost," which reduces the total ATP cost of muscle force production. This means you need less oxygen to create the SAME amount of energy.
Cytochrome oxidase C inhibitor - fancy term for allowing us to better utilize our oxygen
Scientific Evidence
Beet juice improves overall athletic performance specifically for aerobic endurance exercises such as running, cycling, soccer, etc.
One of the most famous (and often cited) scientific studies was performed on a group of cyclists. One group of cyclists drank 0.5L/day of beet root juice for 6 days and the other drank a placebo drink. The conclusion of the study was that the cyclists who drank the beetroot juice reduced their overall oxygen cost by 19%! This translated to EASIER workouts by 19% just by taking in this much beet root juice a day. They also were able to push their workouts 17% LONGER than normally.
Reduces risks of inflammation
Vascular protective
Anti-oxidant
All of these are really beneficial for your overall health!
Side Effects/Drawbacks
The most commonly reported side effect of beets/beet juice in general is pink/red urine (which is what beets is famously known for). This effect can mimick certain conditions like hematuria (blood in your urine); however, this side effect is harmless.
Also, if you have select pre-exisitng medical conditions such as gout or kidney disease, it's best to discuss with your doctor before ingesting large amounts of beet juice on a regular basis.
Overall Thoughts
Give it a try and see how you feel. Try one week with drinking 0.5L/day and then a week without it doing similar workouts and see if you notice any differences!
