Study Finds Beetroot Juice Boosts Exercise Benefits for Postmenopausal Women

Drinking beetroot juice before a workout may boost the effectiveness of exercise for post-menopausal women, according to research published in the American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative, and Comparative Physiology.

Women who are at least six years beyond menopause often struggle more than younger women or men of the same age to gain strength and fitness. This difficulty may be due to a decrease in nitric oxide availability, which affects muscle and blood vessel response during physical activity. Beetroot juice, which is high in dietary nitrate, can be converted to nitric oxide during exercise, potentially enhancing the body’s response to training.

The study involved 24 women who engaged in supervised circuit training three times a week for eight weeks. Half of the group consumed 140 milliliters of beetroot juice a couple of hours before each session. Fitness tests conducted before and after the training period included a six-minute walk and a maximal knee extensor strength test.

Results showed that those who consumed beetroot juice experienced more significant improvements in various physical functions, such as aerobic capacity and recovery times, compared to those who did not. Specifically, the beetroot juice group extended their distance in the six-minute walk test by 40 meters, significantly outperforming the 8-meter improvement seen in the non-juice group.

Additionally, the beetroot juice drinkers showed a notable improvement in aerobic capacity and a faster heart rate recovery—decreasing by 10 beats per minute after the walk test, versus a one-beat-per-minute decrease in the control group.

The findings suggest that pre-exercise consumption of beetroot juice could offer unique benefits to late postmenopausal women, potentially helping them maintain their mobility and quality of life.