Purple power! How beetroot juice can help you get to the finish line first

EATING beetroot can make you run faster, a study has found.

The purple veg boosted sprint times over 20 metres by 2 per cent – enough for an advantage in sports events.

It may also help old people to climb stairs or run for the bus, experts said.

The key to beetroot’s effect is nitrates, which increase the energy available to muscle cells.

In the study, one group were given beetroot juice, while another were given it with nitrate removed.

Those who drank the juice with the nitrate ran much faster. Andrew Jones, of Exeter University, said the study was the first to look at the effect of nitrates on ‘explosive’ exercise such as sprinting.

He said it ‘seems to make muscle more efficient’, adding: ‘Over 20 metres people were going a couple of per cent faster – which is pretty remarkable. What this shows is a muscle’s ability to generate power repeatedly is improved.

‘If you are doing recreational exercise, circuit training, high intensity aerobics, some of that stuff is quite explosive. The implication is Zumba and other recreational exercises might be improved by this.’

Beetroot is not the only vegetable with high nitrate content. Spinach and kale, rocket and other green leafy vegetables are also rich in nitrate – and would also work just as well.