Beetroot - what’s the big deal?
The benefits of beetroot - for all of us!
Beetroot - a root vegetable which has a bad rap. It stains your chopping board, stains pretty much anything else you cook it with, stains your fingers and makes your pee purple! It seems you either love it or hate it. But why should those of us who hate it learn to love it? Isn’t it just something cyclists and runners use to improve their times when they are racing? What’s the big deal?
You may know someone (or be someone) who eats beetroot, drinks beetroot juice or uses commercially available beet shots before running or cycling, or in the build up to a sporting event to get a PB, or to lift a heavier weight, or push harder, or they (or you) want or need to run faster or cycle further than before. Beetroot is used in this instance to improve the delivery of blood to the muscles, so increasing the availability of nutrients and oxygen. It does this by increasing Nitric Oxide in the blood which in turn causes vasodilation - the expansion of the blood vessels, so increasing blood flow not only to the muscles but deep into every tissue and organ.
There are two ways to increase Nitric Oxide in the bloodstream because there are two different pathways to Nitric Oxide production. One uses L-Arginine, an amino acid, which is converted in the body by an enzyme into Nitric Oxide. The other uses dietary nitrates, from green leafy vegetable and beets.
This second pathway doesn’t need an enzyme, BUT it does need a healthy oral microbiome (Oh the good old microbiome!! I knew I’d get it in here somewhere!! 😆). It is enzymes produced by the good bacteria in your mouth which start breaking down dietary nitrates, in order that they can then be reduced further into Nitric Oxide in the bloodstream.
At this point, it would be remiss of me to not tell you to ditch the antibacterial mouthwash you are using. Anything which kills bacteria in your mouth will not only kill the bad microbes, it will kill the good ones, which is detrimental to your health. Regarding dietary nitrates, antibacterial mouthwash will reduce your absorption of nitrite and reduce Nitric Oxide production in the bloodstream, so potentially increasing blood pressure (because the blood vessels won’t expand when they need to).
(On another subject, and as a little aside - gingivitis has been linked to dementia. So if you are using mouthwash because you have bad breath or have any other issues with your oral hygiene, I would highly recommend getting an appointment with your dentist to get some professional help with this.)
OK back to beets! As you can see, the humble beetroot is not so humble after all! In fact it is one of the so-called ‘superfoods’ which actually warrants this description! In increasing Nitric Oxide in the blood, there are loads of benefits to performance AND health due to increased blood flow to the whole body.
Improved delivery of oxygen and fuel to the muscles and lungs for athletic performance.
Studies have shown increased speed in runners as well as a reduced level of perceived exertion. Effectively you can run faster and it feel easier!
Studies also show an improved efficiency of the muscles to use oxygen, so reducing effort levels.
Improved recovery after exercise due to better removal of lactate, (a waste product of intense exercise) which needs oxygen and good blood flow, and improved blood flow bringing all the necessary nutrients for repair.
This means you need less rest between training sessions and so can train more often and harder.
Improved blood flow to the brain for better brain health and improved motor function.
One study showed better connectivity in areas of the brain related to movement in people eating beets and exercising.
Reduced blood pressure due to better expansion and contraction of the blood vessels during normal metabolism and activity.
One study showed BP reduced by 5mmHg in a cohort with raised blood pressure who ate two beets a day for just a few weeks. (if maintained this can reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack by 10%!)
Improved oral microbiome
Bizarrely, as well as a good oral microbiome being essential for metabolism of dietary nitrates, drinking beetroot juice also seems to improve the balance of the oral microbiome
The improved microbiome is related to better vascular and cognitive health AND reduced inflammation and disease!
Many people I speak to use energy drinks or gels to fuel their training or longer endurance events. I recommend they are very careful with the quality of these AND are aware of the detrimental effects of fueling regularly with synthetic caffeine and sugar. Yes our bodies preferred fuel is glucose - because it is the easiest to access, either direct from the bloodstream after a meal, or released from storage in the liver and muscles as required - but constantly giving the body this quick form of energy can result in a reduced ability to use fat for fuel, which may ultimately result in weight gain, and can cause sweet cravings and insulin resistance over time if the sugar isn’t used immediately.
Caffeine is great as a quick fix in a low energy situation, but causes the release of stress hormones which in a world where we are already stressed might not be the best thing to do. Constantly high stress hormones lead to increased blood pressure and weight gain around the mid-section and hence around the internal organs, causing increased risk of fatty liver and cardiovascular disease.
Gels and energy drinks also often contain other synthetic ingredients which can be detrimental to the gut (and oral) microbiome and recently some artificial sweeteners have been added to the WHO’s list of carcinogens - substances which cause cancer.
Maybe it’s time to move to beetroot for your sports performance and gain all the other heart and brain and microbiome benefits which they give you. However, don’t forget that many of the dietary nitrates are removed from beetroot if you boil it. So there are a few things to consider when taking Beets for your health.
Eat it raw. Add it to smoothies or grate it into salads.
Bake or roast it in the oven and make sure you eat all the olive oil from the tin to get all the goodness.
Juice it (although then you lose all the goodness of the fibre from the beets which benefits the microbes in your gut.)
Buy pickled beetroot already peeled and packaged (although it is often boiled first so you lose some of the benefit)
Use commercially available beetroot shots
these are concentrated beet juice, so contain more dietary nitrates than the juice you would make at home
they are also missing the fibre which is so important
They come in plastic or glass bottles - lots of energy to recycle
Use commercially available beetroot powder
So my recommendation would be to eat your beets raw in a smoothie with all the goodness from the fibre or to bake or roast it in the oven and add to risottos or salads or soups. Or use a Beets powder. And the one I recommend is Synergy Pro360 Performance Beets, made from beetroot grown on the Tibetan plateau with much higher concentrations of dietary nitrates and antioxidants even than organic beetroot grown elsewhere. With added patented blends of antioxidants and polyphenols, this beetroot superblend gives the equivalent nitric oxide power of 20lbs or organic beetroot!!
You can order yours by clicking on the link at the bottom of this page (under Synergy Elite Health), improve your athletic or sports performance, improve your mental clarity and cognitive function, reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease and if the trial I just ran is anything to go by, feel energised throughout the day, sleep better and benefit from improved mood and positivity!!
#onehealth.