Regularly consuming beetroot juice can indeed enhance exercise performance, according to a new review of studies that confirms the benefits of the nutrient-rich vegetable.Whether beetroot juice can improve athletic performance is widely debated, with some studies showing it helps and others indicating little to no effect.Now, an analysis of 33 studies based on data from over 500 professional and recreational athletes provides the clearest evidence yet that beetroot can enhance exercise performance. The findings indicate that consuming beetroot juice before exercise makes a measurable difference in how well athletes are able to tolerate an intense session.Researchers found the most benefit occurred when athletes consumed either 140ml of concentrated beetroot juice or about 250ml of the standard drink two hours before exercise.Participants who consumed such a drink showed significant improvement in their explosive strength, sprint speed and oxygen use, according to the review research published in Frontiers in Nutrition.Fruit and vegetables that make a beverage called 'The Rejuvenator' (AFP via Getty)The secret ingredient in the drink that helps boost exercise performance may be its dietary nitrate, which also occurs naturally in food like leafy green vegetables, scientists say.Beetroot likely helps convert nitrates in the body into a molecule known as nitric oxide, which plays a key role in the healthy functioning of blood vessels. Blood vessels exposed to nitric oxide relax and widen, allowing more blood to reach working muscles, researchers say.Nitric oxide also helps muscles contract with greater force while delaying the onset of fatigue.Overall, the findings point to short, explosive bursts of energy and longer endurance benefits from the effects of beetroot juice.This could be favourable for high-intensity sports like football, researchers noted in The Conversation.New research points to explosive bursts of energy and longer endurance benefits from beetroot juice (WFU/Ken Bennett via Eurekalert)Beetroot juice may be a valid performance-boosting drink for runners, cyclists and other endurance athletes as well. The review also highlights that drinking beetroot juice around two hours beforehand appears to work best.This duration provides the digestive system enough time to process the juice and convert its dietary nitrates into nitric oxide.The analysis suggests drinking too early, such as three hours before an event, may not produce the same consistent benefits for maintaining power output.Researchers say the findings should be interpreted cautiously and in the context of exercise type, dosage, timing, and athlete characteristics.“Beetroot juice effectively improves both aerobic and anaerobic exercise performance and can be recommended,” researchers wrote.“Future research requires high-quality, adequately powered, and rigorously reported studies to validate the optimal application conditions of beetroot juice across different populations, sport disciplines, and supplementation protocols.”