Juice Increases Energy and Exercise Stamina

When Chris Carver ran an ultra-marathon, which challenges athletes to run as far as possible in 24 hours, in Scotland last year, he ran 140 miles (225 kilometers).

Determined to do better in this year's race, Carver added something extra to his training regime: beetroot juice. For a week before the race, he drank the dark purple juice every day. Last month, Carver won it by running 148 miles (238 kilometers).

"The only thing I did differently this year was the beetroot juice," said Carver, 46, a professional runner based near Leeds in northern England.

He said more exercise would have improved his endurance, but to get the same result he attributes to the juice -- an extra eight miles -- it would likely have taken an entire year.

Some experts say adding beetroot juice to your diet -- like other foods such as cherry juice or milk -- could provide a performance boost even beyond the blood, sweat and tears of more training.

In two studies conducted at Exeter University on 15 men, Stephen Bailey and colleagues found cyclists who drank a half liter (about a half quart) of beetroot juice several hours before setting off were able to ride up to 20 percent longer than those who drank a placebo blackcurrant juice.

By examining the cyclists under a scanner that analyzes how much energy is needed for a muscle to contract, Bailey and colleagues discovered beetroot juice allows cyclists to exercise using less oxygen than normal.

"The beetroot juice was effective even without any additional training," Bailey said. "It reduces the energy requirements on your muscles so you can last longer."

Visit AOL Health for the complete story on all the benefits of beetroot juice on your workouts.

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