Move over Gatorade!
A study in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise has found that drinking beetroot juice helps competitive-level athletes, specifically cyclists, boost performance levels!
After studying nine competitive male cyclists competing in two time trials, researchers found those who drank half a liter of beetroot juice were an average of 11 seconds quicker over four kilometers and 45 seconds faster over 16.1 kilometers.
The key ingredient seems to be nitrate. In one trial the cyclists were given normal beetroot juice, while in another the cyclists unknowingly drank beetroot juice without any nitrate.
As a result, researchers found that those drinking normal beetroot juice had higher power output for the same level of effort than they did after drinking the modified juice.
Since the substance is completely natural and completely legal there is speculation that this may become the next essential dietary supplement to take athletic training to the next level.
It seems like it would most certainly be helping any cyclist participating in the Tour de France right now!
[Image via AP Images.]