As part of the study, a team of researchers at the University of Northumbria in the U.K. recruited 30 active men aged 18 to 28 years who work out at least twice a week. The participants were instructed to do 100 intensive jump exercises to induce leg muscle damage.
The men were then given either 250 ml beetroot juice, 125 ml beetroot juice, or a placebo over the next three days. The placebo drink contained as much calories and carbohydrates as the beetroot juice.
“Three days of consuming the higher beetroot juice dose enhanced participants’ recovery. Those in the beetroot juice group jumped an average of 18 per cent higher than those in the placebo group two days after completing the exercise bout,” lead researcher Dr. Tom Clifford said in a Daily Mail article.