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Beetroot juice, tart cherry juice offer true benefits for athletes, osteoarthritis
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LAS VEGAS — Juices such as beetroot and tart cherry juice offer benefits to both athletes and potentially to those with more chronic diseases, according to a presenter at the AACE 23rd Annual Scientific & Clinical Congress.
“The good news is that these are food sources that can actually work,” Stella Lucia Volpe, PhD, RD, of Drexel University, said during a presentation, comparing these juices to supplements and vitamins that have less scientific evidence as to their benefit.
Stella Lucia Volpe
Volpe explained that beetroot juice causes production of nitric oxide, which expands blood vessels in the body and improves blood flow, helping more oxygen and nutrients move through the body.
“It’s been shown that beetroot juice improves this in a natural way,” Volpe said. One study showed that cyclists who drank beetroot juice increased their time to exhaustion during exercise.
Additionally, tart cherry juice helps reduce inflammation, whether it is caused by exercise, muscle damage or from illnesses such as osteoarthritis, she said.
Volpe's presentation included data from an earlier study in which 58 people with osteoarthritis received either tart cherry juice or placebo and then switched to the other option after a week-long washout period. Using the Western Ontario McMaster Osteoarthritis Index and serum C-reactive protein measurements, the researchers showed significantly lower inflammation levels after the tart cherry juice compared with placebo. Walking times were also significantly greater with the tart cherry juice, study data showed.
Similarly, Volpe presented a study in which 20 recreational marathon runners showed significantly faster isometric strength recovery and significantly lower levels of inflammation when consuming tart cherry juice compared with placebo. Montmorency and Balaton cherries have the highest antioxidant capacities and the cherries remain high in antioxidants even after processing.
For more information: Volpe SL. T32. Presented at: AACE 23rd Annual Scientific & Clinical Congress; May 13-18, 2014; Las Vegas, Nevada.
Disclosure: Volpe reports no relevant financial relationships.