With the recent Olympics, beetroot juice has gotten some new attention. It seems several athletes swear by the performance enhancement of this blood-red beverage. I am here to sort through the hype and give you the facts as we know them.
Beetroot juice is rich in magnesium, potassium and a phytochemical, betaine, which is thought to help with cardiovascular health and may help prevent liver disease. It is also high in nitrate, a precursor to nitric oxide in the blood that helps relax blood vessels. Indeed, drinking 500ml beetroot juice did lower people's blood pressure 3-4hrs after consumption and for up to 24hrs after according to a recent study. This is exciting news.
A study out of the UK showed last year that drinking the same amount (500ml) of beetroot juice did improve power output and performance (2.7-2.8%) in cyclists doing 2.5-10 miles. While this improvement may be worthwhile for olympians looking for an edge, I would caution a regular exerciser from buying the juicer just yet. A half liter of the juice contains 232 calories and 50 grams of sugar. Most people would have to bike an extra 5-6 miles to burn off those extra calories.
The real power of beetroot is in it's potential blood pressure control. While I would normally steer you toward eating whole foods, such as sliced beets on your salad, that's not completely right in this case. Cooking beets reduces the nitrate content therefore you may not get the great blood pressure effects. Instead, if you would like to experiment with beetroot juice, I'd advise drinking just a cup a day. Some research suggest you may need to have regular doses for it to be effective. One cup contains 110 calories, so skip the post lunch cookie and try this glass of frothy red goodness. You'll have done two good things for your heart.
- Mark Thiesmeyer, MS, MPH, RD
Stay tuned next time for Joey Smith's Part 2 on Posture.
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References:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21471821
http://www.calorieking.com/foods/calories-in-fruit-vegetable-juices-organic-vegetables-beet_f-ZmlkPTEwODM0MA.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beetroot
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/08/looking-for-fitness-in-a-glass-of-juice/
http://www.everydayhealth.com/Calories-Burned-Biking.htm
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