Benefits of Beetroot Juice for Cycling
Various studies have suggested Beetroot juice is able to increase endurance and delay fatigue for athletes in long distance races. A recent study reported in Cycling Weekly suggested drinking Beetroot juice can also improve speed in short distance races. According to this small study, in a 10 mile time trial, cyclists reduced their average times from 27.7 minutes to 26.9 minutes – quite a significant time gap. This study gave cyclists a drink of beetroot juice two hours before the test. In one group the nitrate was removed from the beetroot juice. In the other group, the natural nitrate was left in the beetroot juice. The group with nitrate in, managed to reduce their times. The theory is that nitrate helps muscles work more efficiently using less oxygen to produce the same amount of power. When scientists from the University of Exeter researched Beetroot juice, they found it improved the endurance capacity of athletes; they believed the benefits were the result of the nitrate turning into nitric oxide in the body, reducing how much oxygen is burned up by exercise. Like many other fresh fruit and vegetables, beetroot juice is high in antioxidants which helps to reduce blood pressure. It [...]
Source: http://cyclinginfo.co.uk/blog/cycling/benefits-of-beetroot-juice-for-cycling/