I have been drinking beet juice for the past few years and I believe (whether it is a placebo or not) that it helps during my tougher training blocks. That being said, there has been a lot of research on the use of caffeine before workouts and races and it shows to have many positive side effects. Now here is my question. The beets work because the body converts the nitrates into nitric oxide. The nitric oxide is a vasodilator and this, from what I understand is where you gain the benefits. Caffeine on the other hand is a vasoconstrictor. So is taking both before a workout or race beneficial? Would they negate each other?
Lots of scientists actually believe caffeine is a vasodilator. Google it for more info. My personal experience is that caffeine is in fact a vasodilator and does not diminish the effect of NO enhancers.
I heard beet juice is great. I should try it - am currently eating lots of spinach, greens, nuts,++ and super low sodium (less than 1500 mg/day). No coffee or caffeine (except for some dark chocolate 85%). Done for eating restaurant food too.
Dropping caffeine then sodium intake has been A+. My feeling is that tanking the constrictors and upping the dilators take weeks, if not months to do their work and reap the full benefits, but they are long lasting. So a shot of caffeine here and there won’t be a problem.
For example, the sports nutritionist was ready to give me a racing caffeine plan and of course that works. But what the heck, do I really need that?
Some do not see any effect specifically because their diet already contains high nitrate foods. So if you’re already loaded up on your leafy greens, then beet juice may not have a major effect. Iirc, your body regulates uptake from greens and you are unlikely to overload. But I suppose if you like the taste, no reason to avoid it. in my non-expert opinion. -J
Some do not see any effect specifically because their diet already contains high nitrate foods. So if you’re already loaded up on your leafy greens, then beet juice may not have a major effect. Iirc, your body regulates uptake from greens and you are unlikely to overload. But I suppose if you like the taste, no reason to avoid it. in my non-expert opinion. -J
That’s a good reminder, I’ve not considered that before.
It’s also important to note that I think most of the beet juice studies were done on lower fitness athletes, so if you’re at the higher end (maybe kona qualifer level) you may not get as much of a benefit.
Some do not see any effect specifically because their diet already contains high nitrate foods. So if you’re already loaded up on your leafy greens, then beet juice may not have a major effect.
I have actually had grant reviewers raise this very issue. However, I don’t believe it to really be true, at least in general. Here’s why:
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Normal daily intake of nitrate in the US is considered to 0.6-1.5 mmol/d;
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Restricting your intake to essentially zero only reduces circulating nitrate levels by ~10% (due to ongoing production via the NOS pathway);
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The minimal dose of nitrate required to improve performance seems to somewhere north of a little over 4 mmol/d;
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Most studies showing improved performance are providing 8+ mmol/d (we’re using 11.2 mmol/d, but are about to begin a formal dose-response study);
Based on the above, while it’s not impossible to ingest significant amounts of nitrate w/o deliberately trying to do so (via supplementation), the odds that somebody has already “saturated” this mechanism via their normal diet seems quite low.
Now with all that said, leafy green veggies are clearly good for you…so if the fact that they are rich in nitrate encourages you to eat more of them (I think about it every day when I have my spinach salad), wonderful!
Andrew how much beet juice would equal 11.2 mmol/d? I have read 500 ml = 6.2, not sure my digestive track could take 903 ml in one serving without have a revolt?
Thanks,
GS
Re lower fitness athletes: I seem to remember that aspect too. Although I couldn’t imagine why being a high-fitness athlete who ate poorly couldn’t suddenly benefit. Plenty of anecdotal/empirical evidence of pros who’ve cleaned up their diets making improvements (esp. getting leaner).
That’s good to know–I hadn’t read or seen that info elsewhere. I’ll be curious what you find. My mind is open.
To show my work: “Normal” daily intake I’m sure is quite low for the GP. But it looks like just 100g of arugula totals around 8 mmol of nitrates (if my back of the napkin calcs are correct). Thus, a salad a day appears to put you way ahead of the normal intake, and the effect of additional beet root juice may not yield major improvements. But I don’t have data, and hopefully you will soon!
I also wonder about the saturation mechanism that’s out there, how much is enough, and where things get non-linear (or do they for everyone?). All that said, I’m sure you’ve got controls for salad eaters in the study to weed out those potential crossover effects.
I’m an arugula man, but spinach is my 2nd go-to. My wife thinks it’s funny that I eat big salad specifically for athletic purposes; but she’s happy I’m eating salads instead of burgers, so whatever justifies it works for us.
-J
Re lower fitness athletes: I seem to remember that aspect too. Although I couldn’t imagine why being a high-fitness athlete who ate poorly couldn’t suddenly benefit.
There are two pathways for nitric oxide production, i.e., the nitric oxide synthase pathway and the dietary pathway. Endurance exercise training regularly activates the former, which results in an increase in nitrate levels, which in turn could result in “saturation.”
With that said, it may be that different effects of nitric oxide are impacted differently, as we recently found that dietary nitrate increases maximal muscle speed and power even in collegiate athletes.
Andrew how much beet juice would equal 11.2 mmol/d? I have read 500 ml = 6.2, not sure my digestive track could take 903 ml in one serving without have a revolt?
Thanks,
GS
Such conversions are difficult, because the amount of nitrate in foods varies with where and how they are grown.
You’re on the right track, though, to get 11.2 mmol of nitrate from something like Biotta-brand beetroot juice would require drinking a pretty large amount. This is where concentrated supplements have a place.
This is where concentrated supplements have a place.
What supplements do you think would be effective? I remember reading in my initial research that some types of beet-based supplements wouldn’t work. And also that some nitrate supplements wouldn’t work.
This is where concentrated supplements have a place.
What supplements do you think would be effective? I remember reading in my initial research that some types of beet-based supplements wouldn’t work. And also that some nitrate supplements wouldn’t work.
Anything with a sufficient amount of inorganic nitrate should work.
OTOH, supplements (e.g., arginine) or drugs (e.g., sildenafil) that attempt to increase nitric oxide availability by manipulating the NOS system seem to be less effective.
Re lower fitness athletes: I seem to remember that aspect too. Although I couldn’t imagine why being a high-fitness athlete who ate poorly couldn’t suddenly benefit. Plenty of anecdotal/empirical evidence of pros who’ve cleaned up their diets making improvements (esp. getting leaner).
It may be that the lower fitness athletes simply have less room to grow. A 1% improvement for a 4:00 marathoner is more noticeable than a 1% improvement for a 2:30 marathoner.
This is where concentrated supplements have a place.
What supplements do you think would be effective? I remember reading in my initial research that some types of beet-based supplements wouldn’t work. And also that some nitrate supplements wouldn’t work.
Anything with a sufficient amount of inorganic nitrate should work.
OTOH, supplements (e.g., arginine) or drugs (e.g., sildenafil) that attempt to increase nitric oxide availability by manipulating the NOS system seem to be less effective.
any idea how what serving size of beetelite would give you that mmol?
This is where concentrated supplements have a place.
What supplements do you think would be effective? I remember reading in my initial research that some types of beet-based supplements wouldn’t work. And also that some nitrate supplements wouldn’t work.
Anything with a sufficient amount of inorganic nitrate should work.
OTOH, supplements (e.g., arginine) or drugs (e.g., sildenafil) that attempt to increase nitric oxide availability by manipulating the NOS system seem to be less effective.
any idea how what serving size of beetelite would give you that mmol?
IIRC, one packet/pouch of BeetElite has the equivalent of 30 mmol of nitrate/ “Equivalent” because some is in the form of nitrIte, thus bypassing the bacterial reduction in the oral cavity and speeding production of nitric oxide…at least, that’s what they claim, and it is consistent with the fact that my breath nitric oxide rose more rapidly following ingestion of BeetElite vs. Beet It!
Read this the other day
Scott Betteridge, Raúl Bescós, Miquel Martorell, Antoni Pons, Andrew P. Garnham, Christos C. Stathis, Glenn K. McConell
Journal of Applied Physiology Published 15 February 2016 Vol. 120 no. 4, 391-398 DOI: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00658.2015
Beetroot juice, which is rich in nitrate (NO3−), has been shown in some studies to decrease oxygen consumption (V̇O2) for a given exercise workload, i.e., increasing efficiency and exercise tolerance. Few studies have examined the effect of beetroot juice or nitrate supplementation on exercise metabolism. Eight healthy recreationally active males participated in three trials involving ingestion of either beetroot juice (Beet; ∼8 mmol NO3−), Placebo (nitrate-depleted Beet), or Beet + mouthwash (Beet+MW), all of which were performed in a randomized single-blind crossover design. Two-and-a-half hours later, participants cycled for 60 min on an ergometer at 65% of V̇O2 peak. glucose was infused to determine glucose kinetics, blood samples obtained throughout exercise, and skeletal muscle biopsies that were obtained pre- and postexercise. Plasma nitrite increased significantly (∼130%) with Beet, and this was attenuated in MW+Beet. Beet and Beet+MW had no significant effect on oxygen consumption, blood glucose, blood lactate, plasma nonesterified fatty acids, or plasma insulin during exercise. Beet and Beet+MW also had no significant effect on the increase in glucose disposal during exercise. In addition, Beet and Beet+MW had no significant effect on the decrease in muscle glycogen and phosphocreatine and the increase in muscle creatine, lactate, and phosphorylated acetyl CoA carboxylase during exercise. In conclusion, at the dose used, acute ingestion of beetroot juice had little effect on skeletal muscle metabolism during exercise.
Thank you.
GS
Thank you for adding some sanity. Gives me a good reason to avoid yet another fad “superfood”. How many of these have we had now that are almost always oversold?
Thank you for adding some sanity. Gives me a good reason to avoid yet another fad “superfood”. How many of these have we had now that are almost always oversold?
Note that:
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Glenn McConell (the senior author, and a good friend of mine) has a long track-record investigating the role of nitric oxide in glucose transport - hence undoubtedly part of the motivation for this study.
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The exercise intensity is lower than that at which dietary nitrate seems to enhance aerobic performance.
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Actual performance wasn’t measured.