Beet it - supplement

Cona

I saw a friend of mine taking a shot of Beet it juice at a race recently. Apparently he says he feels a positive affect from taking them (questionable, I know).
Now, I was very skeptical at the time and just laughed him off.
However a quick google shows plenty of medical findings suggesting that Beet root (or juice) can help increase blood flow and promote endurance affects.

http://www.runireland.com/news/research-reveals-new-secret-weapon-endurance-athletes-when-every-kilometre-counts-runners-will-

A study conducted at the University of Exeter and published in May 2010 in the Journal of Applied Physiology found that drinking beetroot juice reduces the energy expended by muscles. The research builds on a previous study (also published in the Journal of Applied Physiology), which showed for the first time that drinking beetroot juice can boost stamina, allowing an individual to exercise for up to 16% longer.
The authors suspected that this was connected to the very high nitrate content of beetroot juice turning into nitric oxide in the body, leading to a reduction in oxygen uptake. The latest study confirmed that initial finding and also described the processes in the muscles that make exercise less tiring.
The nitrate has two physiological effects. Firstly, it widens blood vessels, reducing blood pressure and allowing more blood to flow. Secondly, it affects muscle tissue, reducing the amount of oxygen needed by muscles during activity. The combined effects have a significant impact on performing physical tasks, whether it involves low-intensity or high-intensity effort.


So, I am curious...Has anyone tried it?

Krusty_Clown

It's been discussed a number of times before. The best way of improving your race times, is through training, but as supplements go, at least it's natural. I've been known to sip on some beetroot juice the day before/morning of a race (more of a tradition/superstition at this point) point at least it forces me to hydrate properly. Lots of vitamins, iron, etc.

It does turn your toilet contributions a deep ruby red, so it rules out having a pee on the hoof, as you'll likely get pulled over by medical staff. Do I think that it makes a marked difference to performance? Nothing that losing a pound of weight or training a little harder wouldn't address more comprehensively. Have never tried 'beet shots'. Prefer your standard beetroot juice variety.

Kander

Tried it, hated the taste, pee turned a nasty color. Doubt I tried it long enough to see any benefits.

Ososlo

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

It does turn your toilet contributions a deep ruby red, so it rules out having a pee on the hoof, as you'll likely get pulled over by medical staff.

Also, if you drink it right before your race, and puke at the end of your race, you might get some very concerned looks:o

Cona

Yes I certainly acknowledge that training is the best way to improve, no doubt about that. But what about when u have trained as much as possible and are 1 hour away from the start line?

Krusty, one of the articles I was reading was saying that the shot would be the equivalent of roughly 500mls of regular beet juice based on the nitrate value. I'm sure no one would suffer through a pint of beet juice l.

Krusty_Clown

Cona wrote: »

Yes I certainly acknowledge that training is the best way to improve, no doubt about that. But what about when u have trained as much as possible and are 1 hour away from the start line?

Krusty, one of the articles I was reading was saying that the shot would be the equivalent of roughly 500mls of regular beet juice based on the nitrate value. I'm sure no one would suffer through a pint of beet juice l.

Runners who drink shots of beet juice one hour before hitting the start line probably haven't trained as much as they could have (hence the beet juice/miracle fix). Why not just try it? The hard part will be trying to determine if it actually offers any improvement over not having taken the shot. How can you compare? Certainly wise to try it in training first, as beetroot juice can be pretty tough going on the stomach.

clear thinking

It's 83c for a vacuum pack of beetroot. Just eat one. I have them in my diet anyway and back when I was training well I ate one for breakfast an hour before a race and I felt it did make a difference.

I think the evidence on it is pretty clear so, if you read up, you can find out the exact benefits. The nitrates are straight into your blood stream and obviously do have an effect. Purple food in general is also good for anti-oxidants, to paraphrase Homer Simpson. Berries, Cabbage, beets etc.

I usually do a load of lettuce with tomato, avocado and beetroot, olive oil etc....

rom

Having had a lot of this over the last few years there are pros and cons of it. A pro is when you are fit and healthy it can help reduce your resting HR. As I track it daily I notice that it brings it down after taking it once a day for 2 weeks. As in the big scheme of things I am not well trained so it gives me more of an impact. However I have and people I know have had negative race experiences due to it. Firstly the nitrates can have you wired if you drink it prior to a session or race. I was talking to one person who broken 70 mins for half when drinking it and found it great and used to drink it morning noon and night however his times recently are prob 5 mins slower. I and others have had stomach cramps from it. It also contains a lot of iron that can make you constipated.

Extended use can leave you feeling wired. It important to relax also. Would I take it again and did I find it give me an edge. Yes and yes but it probably better than drinking a sports drink and getting more iron in my diet is not a bad thing if you need it.

PS if your looking to order it Amazon.co.uk is good. If a bottle ends up damaged then ring them up and they ship you another 8 without the need to return the other 7 bottles. The packaging is very bad. Drinking it cold it is like drinking milk to me now.

http://home.trainingpeaks.com/blog/article/using-beet-juice-to-improve-performance

Drinking it and then using mouth wash in the morning undos any good it can do.

RayCun

I drink beetroot juice in the morning, like orange juice. Not the concentrated shots - and certainly not enough to have me wired - but I like the taste (and the kids don't, so they don't steal it! :pac: )

RedRunner

I drink the carton variety regularly when training is going well an especially in week or two before a race. I think there is something about it but I haven't tried to measure this in any way. I've tried the shot on morning of a race too . Does it make a difference? Maybe or maybe it's a placebo effect. As others say, it's natural and has plenty of goodness.

I like normal beet root in a salad too so I try and get plenty of that in too.

TFBubendorfer

I've tried beetroot juice as well for a while. Not the shots, actual beetroot juice. I certainly ran well in that time but how much that was down to the beets I cannot say.

Yup, it causes funny colours in the toilet.

However, it did cause a few upset stomachs so I eventually decided it was not worth it. Like Krusty said, first you train to your max, and only then should you look for additional supplemental help.

average_runner

I used to drink it three times a week, never notice the wee colour change though.

Apparently it gives a boost to your red blood cells etc.

As before a race, it be a no go for me, keep things simple before the start

Jnealon

Heard of a lad who used to buy jars of it, drink the juice and throw out the beetroot.
Took him a while to cop on

gerard_65

Jnealon wrote: »

Heard of a lad who used to buy jars of it, drink the juice and throw out the beetroot.
Took him a while to cop on

LMAO:pac::pac::pac::pac::pac::pac:

demfad

Ososlo wrote: »

Also, if you drink it right before your race, and puke at the end of your race, you might get some very concerned looks:o

Good one! Scream "don't drink the water" before the puke for even more concerned looks.

demfad

rom wrote: »

Having had a lot of this over the last few years there are pros and cons of it. A pro is when you are fit and healthy it can help reduce your resting HR. As I track it daily I notice that it brings it down after taking it once a day for 2 weeks.

Interesting. Hills sprints should also reduce RHR but by increasing stroke volume.

According to your link beet juice achieves this by stimulating nitric acid to widen blood vessels in peripheral muscles. More blood getting into the muscles per heart stroke.

Nitric acid relaxes the blood vessels. So when nitric acid is highest blood presure is lowest.

Worth remembering two that raw vegetables can be nitrate rich:

lettuce, beets, carrots, green beans, spinach, parsley, cabbage, radishes, celery and collard greens

Must get the oul juicer going again!

kneejerk

rom wrote: »

Drinking it and then using mouth wash in the morning undos any good it can do.

Are you serious and if so can you explain why?

rom

kneejerk wrote: »

Are you serious and if so can you explain why?

The nitrates in beets are converted into nitrites by friendly bacteria in our saliva7. This is an important step that should not be overlooked. This conversion is not instantaneous, and the use of mouthwash or toothpaste soon after drinking beet juice may wash the nitrates out of your saliva. It follows that drinking beet juice slowly may increase the time nitrates are in contact with these bacteria, increasing the conversion to nitrites.