Effects of supplementation with beet juice and the importance of nitric oxide in runners

Abstract

Beetroot is an important precursor of nitric oxide, as it is rich of nitrate, capable of contributing as a supplement for athletes looking to improve their performance in physical practice. As it is a high-intensity physical activity, we selected a group of runners to participate in the study aiming at the practicality of taking this supplement, investigating the effectiveness of beetroot juice as a pre-workout offer for athletes. The study was carried out with 10 athletes considered amateur runners, divided into two groups: Placebo and Beetroot. A lottery was held so that the runners would know which group they would belong to. The race course was inside the campus of the Methodist University of Piracicaba, totaling 5 kilometers, at a strong pace. From the results and discussions presented in this article, we conclude that in this study the vasodilator effect was not observed in athletes who ingested beetroot. There was a positive effect in both groups because it was a carbohydrate intake, the currant syrup because it is a fast absorption carbohydrate had the highest glucose peak, but the beet group had an increase in glucose even in the case of a carbohydrate of moderate absorption and fiber. From this, we concluded that the positive effects came because it was a carbohydrate intake, emphasizing its quality in the use of pre-workout for athletes.