Beetroot Juice Supplementation Improves High-Intensity Intermittent Type Exercise Performance in Trained Soccer Players

Abstract

It has been shown that nitrate supplementation can enhance endurance exercise performance. Recent work suggests that nitrate ingestion can also increase intermittent type exercise performance in recreational athletes. We hypothesized that six days of nitrate supplementation can improve high-intensity intermittent type exercise performance in trained soccer players. Thirty-two male soccer players (age: 23 ± 1 years, height: 181 ± 1 m, weight: 77 ± 1 kg, playing experience: 15.2 ± 0.5 years, playing in the first team of a 2nd or 3rd Dutch amateur league club) participated in this randomized, double-blind cross-over study. All subjects participated in two test days in which high-intensity intermittent running performance was assessed using the Yo-Yo IR1 test. Subjects ingested nitrate-rich (140 mL; ~800 mg nitrate/day; BR) or a nitrate-depleted beetroot juice (PLA) for six subsequent days, with at least eight days of wash-out between trials. The distance covered during the Yo-Yo IR1 was the primary outcome measure, while heart rate (HR) was measured continuously throughout the test, and a single blood and saliva sample were collected just prior to the test. Six days of BR ingestion increased plasma and salivary nitrate and nitrite concentrations in comparison to PLA (p < 0.001), and enhanced Yo-Yo IR1 test performance by 3.4 ± 1.3% (from 1574 ± 47 to 1623 ± 48 m; p = 0.027). Mean HR was lower in the BR (172 ± 2) vs. PLA trial (175 ± 2; p = 0.014). Six days of BR ingestion effectively improves high-intensity intermittent type exercise performance in trained soccer players.

Acute beetroot juice administration improves peak isometric force production in adolescent males

“…Our data indicate that acute BR supplementation has no effect on repeated sprint performance in adolescent males. Previous studies have shown that NO 3¯ supplementation consistently improved intermittent exercise performance over distances and durations associated with team sports athletes in match-play (Wylie et al 2013b;Thompson et al 2015;Thompson et al 2016;Nyakayiru et al 2017a). However, research investigating the effects of dietary NO 3¯ on maximal effort repeated sprint performance has not demonstrated clear benefits (Christensen et al 2013;Martin et al 2014;Wylie et al 2016).…”

Beetroot and Sodium Nitrate Ameliorate Cardiometabolic Changes in Diet‐Induced Obese Hypertensive Rats

“…Beetroot juice (commercially available as Beet It shots, James White, UK) from a single batch was purchased from a local health‐food shop and sodium nitrate was purchased from Sigma‐Aldrich Australia (Sydney, NSW, Australia). Studies using Beet It doses of 70 mL report that each dose contains ≈400 mg nitrate, ≈21 mg betanin, ≈1.02 mg betaxanthin, and ≈22.6 mg total flavonoids (rutin equivalent) . C, C+B, and C+N rats were fed with C diet for the first 8 weeks and then with C, C + B or C + N diets for the last 8 weeks.…”

The Effect of Beetroot Juice Supplementation on Dynamic Apnea and Intermittent Sprint Performance in Elite Female Water Polo Players

“…Several studies have found ergogenic effects of nitrate supplementation when exercising under hypoxic conditions. This could be "local" tissue hypoxia, such as during anaerobic, highintensity intermittent exercise (Nyakayiru et al, 2017;Thompson et al, 2016;Wylie et al, 2013), or "systemic" normobaric/ hypobaric hypoxia (Carriker et al, 2016;Vanhatalo et al, 2010). Although "systemic hypoxia" has also been used with respect to maximal underwater exercise (Schagatay, 2010), the term "dynamic apnea" more appropriately reflects the different physiological characteristics associated with these breath-holding activities.…”