Sipping beetroot juice may give you more stamina while working out. In a recent study, researchers found that drinking juice from the root of the beet plant could help keep exercise from draining your energy.
For the study, eight men (ages 19 to 38) drank about 17 ounces of organic beetroot juice each day for six consecutive days before completing a series of cycling-based fitness tests. Tests results revealed that the men were able to cycle for an average of 92 seconds longer after drinking the beetroot juice (compared to their cycling times after six days of drinking blackcurrant cordial). What's more, study members also had lower resting blood pressure after consuming beetroot juice.
Although the study's authors aren't sure how beetroot juice might increase stamina, they suggest that nitrate (a nutrient found in beets, as well as in green, leafy vegetables) may help reduce oxygen uptake, which could in turn make exercise less tiring.
