‘Just beet it’ to boost muscle power

‘Just beet it’ to boost muscle power


January means hitting the gym and cleaning up one’s diet to atone for the gluttonous feasts that fill the holidays, which often result in a few extra pounds. But instead of chasing your sweat session at the gym with an overly processed protein shake, you might want to down a glass of simple, sweet red beet juice instead. A new study from journal Circulation: Heart Failure shows that beet juice’s high concentrations of beta carotene may boost muscle mass.

The study tested muscle strength in subjects with heart failure because their muscles don’t generate much power, making it easier to measure small increments. Each person downed almost a cup of concentrated beet juice and almost immediately enjoyed an increase in muscle power of about 13 percent — about the same as two months of resistance training.

But you don’t have to be an Olympic power lifter to benefit from the beet — researchers say it’s enough to help in everyday tasks like reaching for a box of cereal high up on a shelf or vacuuming the carpet.

What makes beet juice such a booster? It’s the same thing that gave Popeye his guns — nitrate, found in leafy greens like spinach and beets.

It’s not the first study to find beets beneficial. Another study found that while beet juice does not increase blood flow to a certain area of the body, it did appear to relax the walls of arteries, making it easier for blood to pass through — a potential gain for athletes and couch potatoes alike.

Beets are also good sources of folate, potassium, vitamin C, fiber and antioxidants. One thing, though: They can make your urine and stools appear to have a slight reddish tint. It’s normal, just a small side effect of beet consumption, along with better muscles.

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