Beet root juice increases stamina

EXETER, England, Aug. 11 (UPI) -- British researchers found drinking beetroot juice made it possible to exercise up to 14 percent longer.

Their study, published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, suggested the nitrate in the juice may turn into nitric oxide in the body and reduce the oxygen cost of exercise.

Researchers at the University of Exeter and Peninsula Medical School in England gave eight men -- ages 19-38 -- about 16 ounces of organic beetroot juice for six consecutive days before they completed a series of exercise bike tests.

After drinking the juice, the men were able to cycle an average of 92 seconds longer than when given a placebo of blackcurrant cordial under the same circumstances. Drinking beetroot juice was also associated with lower resting blood pressure.

"We were amazed by the effects of beetroot juice on oxygen uptake because these effects cannot be achieved by any other known means, including training," corresponding author Andy Jones of Exeter said in a statement.