- A new study found that drinking beetroot juice before a workout can improve muscular force and performance during exercise.
- Researchers say the nitrate in beet juice, along with leafy greens, can help muscles produce more force and work more efficiently.
When it comes to muscle-building boosters, nitrate is having a moment. Found in both supplements and dietary sources—beet juice is particularly nitrate-rich—the compound has already been shown to enhance high-intensity exercise and potentially improve endurance. Now, a study published in the journal Acta Physiologica suggests nitrate can also increase muscular performance during exercise.
Researchers asked 10 healthy volunteers to consume either potassium nitrate in the form of beetroot juice or a placebo. Researchers took muscle biopsies when they drank the juice, at an hour afterward, and then at three hours after consuming the drink. During that timeframe, they were asked to perform a leg exercise to fatigue.
After tracing the distribution of the ingested nitrate in the saliva, blood, muscles, and urine, researchers found that an hour after the nitrate was taken, there was a significant level in the thigh muscles. This nitrate boost lead to an increase in muscle force of 7 percent, compared to the placebo group, according to the study’s lead author, Andy Jones, Ph.D., professor of applied physiology at the University of Exeter in the U.K.
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“Muscle takes up and stores nitrate from our diet and uses it during exercise,” he told Runner’s World. “In terms of mechanism, we think the nitrate is broken down into a molecule called nitric oxide, which can have effects on muscle contraction. For example, it can alter calcium handling in a positive way.” That’s a big deal because muscle contraction is regulated by calcium, so the better your body is able to use that mineral, the more beneficial it is for muscle efficiency.
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Although the participants drank nitrate, Jones added that it’s likely the same effect would have occurred if they’d consumed the nitrate in the form of a supplement.
“Nitrate is nitrate, however it’s taken,” he said. “Foods like spinach, arugula, and beetroot contain a lot of nitrate. However, for athletes, it might be more convenient to drink a high-nitrate beetroot juice shot than to eat a salad before training or competition.”
One limitation of the study is its small sample size—after all, only five participants drank the nitrate-rich juice—but this research adds to other, larger studies that have found similar advantages for exercise performance.
For example, research published in The Journal of Nutrition in 2021, looking at about 3,700 participants whose dietary choices were assessed over a 12-year timeframe, found that those with the highest nitrate intakes tended to have more strength in exercises like knee extensions and timed “up-and-go” tests that measure how quickly someone can rise from a seated position.
Also, a research review, published in Sports Medicine in 2014, found reduction in muscle fatigue when beetroot and leafy green vegetables were consumed before a workout, along with lower resting blood pressure and enhanced exercise tolerance.
The takeaway: The food you eat before a workout can help you maximize your performance and results. And if you’re looking for a way to boost your strength, you might want to sip some beet juice or leafy green smoothie.
Elizabeth Millard is a freelance writer focusing on health, wellness, fitness, and food.
