A new study has found that drinking beetroot juice can significantly boost muscle power in people living with heart failure, with effects comparable to two to three months of strength training. The research, published in the journal Circulation: Heart Failure, involved patients who showed a 13 per cent increase in power in the muscles that extend the knee shortly after consuming the juice.
Beetroot juice, like spinach, is high in nitrates which boost metabolism. Lead researcher Dr Linda Peterson from Washington University School of Medicine said: “It’s a small study, but we see robust changes in muscle power about two hours after patients drink the beet juice.” She emphasised that power is crucial for daily activities such as getting out of a chair, lifting groceries, or climbing stairs, which significantly impact quality of life.
Study co-author Dr Andrew Coggan compared the effect to Popeye eating his spinach, noting that the improvement is similar to that seen after several months of resistance training. The researchers are now keen to explore whether increasing dietary nitrates could help the elderly, who typically lose about one per cent of muscle function per year after a certain age.
Around 900,000 people in the UK are living with heart failure, a condition where the heart muscle is too weak or stiff to pump enough blood around the body. The findings suggest that beetroot juice could offer a simple, non-invasive way to improve muscle strength and daily function in these patients.
