Do you also regularly drink beetroot juice or have you heard of the beetroot trend among top athletes? Is it really true that regular consumption of beetroot can improve performance during sport?
More and more top athletes are eating beetroot juice to break all records. Because beetroot juice makes you more efficient and promotes regeneration after hard units. Unlike illegal doping substances, which demand too much of the body and can still cause serious health consequences years later, beetroot juice contributes to strengthening without side effects. A study has now shown why there is so much power in beetroot.
Beetroot - fountain of youth and strength donor
The beetroot is a beet that really has a lot to offer. The conspicuous red colour is due to the colouring agent betanin. It is an antioxidant that supports the body in many ways, including relieving the liver and strengthening our immune system.
Furthermore, beetroot contains a lot of folic acid - 200 g beetroot already cover 40 percent of the daily requirement. Iron and vitamins of the B group are also abundant in beetroot. This vital substance mix supports blood formation and protects the blood vessels from deposits, which is why the healthy tuber is recognised as a preventive remedy against arteriosclerosis, stroke and heart attack.
The beetroot is also known as a fountain of youth and a source of strength - characteristics that have since been confirmed by modern research.
A study published in the specialist journal American Journal of Physiology - Renal Physiology has once again shown that athletes in particular can benefit greatly from beetroot.
Vegetable proteins
Sport: Beetroot juice increases performance
A team of researchers led by Jae-Seok Lee from Kyung Hee University in South Korea has found that regular consumption of beetroot juice has a positive effect on the heart and vascular system and increases endurance during training.
Nitrates occur naturally in soil, but are also applied in the form of fertilizers. The plants absorb nitrate through the roots and convert it into high-energy protein. The excess nitrate is stored, whereby the storage capacity varies depending on the plant: vegetables such as lettuce, kohlrabi, spinach, radishes and beetroot store a particularly high amount of nitrate.
Research has shown that the nitrates in beetroot juice naturally lower blood pressure, dilate blood vessels and stimulate blood circulation, and also ensure that the heart requires less oxygen during training. All these properties now noticeably increase performance during sporting activity.
The scientists therefore concluded that regular drinking of beetroot juice during exercise transports more oxygen to the muscles and reduces the strain on the heart.
Regular consumption of beetroot can therefore actually increase performance during training. So now every morning a glass of beetroot juice for breakfast and you start the day full of power.
