This week’s article looks at the benefits of taking beetroot supplements in obese people
What’s the deal?
Overweight and obese people generally find it harder to exercise than those within a healthy weight range. There are numerous reasons for this, but one of them is the fact that being overweight places a greater demand for oxygen during any physical activity. This greater demand for oxygen makes you out of breath more easily and more likely to want to stop.
Beetroot juice can reduce the general oxygen demand in people at rest, so it was thought that perhaps it could help obese patients during exercise.
What did they do?
The key ingredient in beetroot juice is nitrates, which was given in liquid form to ten obese 16 year olds for 6 days in a row. Some of the subjects were given beetroot juice without any nitrates for comparison. At the end of the six days, participants completed both moderate and intense exercise tests until exhaustion and their performance was analysed. The experiment was later repeated but with participants having the other supplement.
What happened?
Importantly they found that with beetroot juice containing nitrates, participants were able to exercise at high intensity for 22% longer than when they had beetroot juice without nitrates!
What can you tell me about the people?
The teenagers had a BMI of around 35, meaning for an average 5’ 6” person, they would weigh around 15 stone (nearly 100 kg) or 210 lbs. Eight of the ten participants were female.
What else should I know?
Beetroot can be found in your local supermarket and there are hundreds of recipes online to get in into your diet! Nitrate supplements are also readily available in stores and are not terribly expensive.
What will I do differently?
I have tried to incorporate beetroot into my diet, but I only got as far as buying it! The main complaint people have online is that it tastes gross! Soon I’ll try it though, I promise! No pain, no gain, right?
This research was published in September 2018 by L Rasica and colleagues from the Institute of Molecular Bioimaging and Physiology at the National Research Council in Segrate, Italy.
This article highlights our personal take on this research. Check it out here and see what you think!
Abstract Athlete 