Sip Before Swimming

Beetroot juice is abundant in nitrate, a compound that may reduce oxygen uptake to subsequently  enhance exercise endurance.  Marco Pinna, from the University of Cagliari (Italy), and colleagues enrolled 14 moderately trained male master swimmers in a study in which the subjects underwent two swimming tests: one was at the start of the study, and the second occurred after six days of consuming 500 mL per day of an organic beetroot juice.  Observing that: “the present investigation provides evidence that [beetroot juice supplementation] positively affects performance of swimmers as it reduces the [aerobic energy cost] and increases the workload at anaerobic threshold,” the study authors submit that the data supports the utility of beetroot juice among competitive swimmers.