We interviewed Jonathan Cartwright, brand manager for Beet It Sport, all about the power of beetroot juice for endurance sports
Beet-It Sport Nitrate 400 shot
The Beet-It Sport Nitrate 400 is a concentrated shot made with 98% beetroot and 2% lemon juice – no unnecessary additives. We concentrate the beetroot juice because you need a lot to get enough nitrate for a performance benefit. Each shot contains 400 milligrams of nitrate, the minimum effective dose shown to provide performance benefits.
Rather than blending beetroot yourself and dealing with the mess, we’ve made it easy and standardised the nitrate content. Nitrate levels can vary in natural beetroot, so our process ensures you get a consistent dose every time. You don’t have to guess how much nitrate you’re consuming or drink a large volume of juice.
That’s impressive! To put it into perspective, how much beetroot would you need to eat to get the same benefits as one shot?
On average, it would be around six to eight beets, depending on their size and nitrate content. That’s a lot to eat before a run! While many people enjoy beetroot on salads, it’s not ideal before exercise because of the fibre, which can feel heavy in your stomach. Our product is fibre-free because we press the beets and separate the pulp from the juice, making it easy to digest.
How did the idea for Beet It Sport come about?
Beet It Sport is part of James White Drinks, a company based in Ipswich. We’ve been pressing fruit and vegetable juices for almost 40 years. We started pressing beetroot juice in 2005, not knowing at the time how beneficial it could be for health and performance.
In 2008, researchers in Scandinavia discovered that nitrates could lower high blood pressure. They also found that dietary nitrates, such as those in beetroot, had similar effects. Since we were the only beetroot juice manufacturer in the UK, they approached us to use our product in their research. We agreed, not fully understanding its potential at the time. Their studies showed that nitrates could lower blood pressure by increasing nitric oxide, which acts as a vasodilator.
A year later, sports researchers became interested. They theorised that increased blood flow might benefit athletes by improving oxygen transport. In 2009, a landmark study at the University of Exeter demonstrated that beetroot juice reduced the oxygen cost of exercise and improved cycling performance. That study showed a significant reduction in energy demand—around 16%.
Since then, research has snowballed. Nitric oxide is linked to various processes in the body. From a sports perspective, the key benefit is reducing the energy demand of exercise. Essentially, you can run or cycle at the same pace but use less energy, leaving more in the tank for later in the race.
So the research really validates the product’s benefits?
Absolutely. What’s unique is that we don’t fund any research. We simply supply standardised products to research teams. This includes a placebo version of our shot, which contains no nitrate but is otherwise identical. This allows researchers to conduct double-blind studies, isolating the effects of nitrate alone. These robust studies have helped confirm that nitrate in beetroot juice is the primary driver of the performance benefits.
Recent research into beetroot juice for endurance
Over the last 15 years, most research has focused on endurance. In 2015, though, studies began exploring whether beetroot could improve strength, force production, and intermittent sprinting. This research is linked to nitric oxide, a compound involved in various processes in the body. Researchers started looking at its potential applications for different sports.
For example, studies have examined how beetroot affects intermittent sprinting, mimicking team sports like NFL, football, or rugby. They’ve also tested its impact on strength activities like bench pressing and squatting. While the product and dosage remain the same, the mechanism of action differs.
For endurance, beetroot reduces the energy demand of exercise and increases blood flow. For sprinting and force production, it seems to influence what’s happening inside the muscles, potentially causing muscular adaptations rather than improving blood flow. This has opened doors for us to support a range of elite teams, from NFL and Premier League football to rugby clubs, as evidence mounts for the product’s effectiveness.
More recently, researchers have asked whether additional benefits could be achieved by taking nitrate during exercise, rather than just before. Traditionally, beetroot is consumed about two hours before exercise, as it takes that long to break down and remains in the bloodstream for around six hours at rest. During exercise, however, the body uses nitrate more quickly as a substrate, so researchers wondered if a “top-up” dose mid-exercise could maintain its benefits for longer.
In 2018, a fascinating study compared taking beetroot only before exercise versus both before and mid-exercise. They found the top-up dose helped reduce the rate of glycogen depletion, meaning the body drew less energy from muscles. Over time, this could allow athletes to run further or delay exhaustion. However, drinking a beetroot shot mid-race isn’t practical, so we set out to develop a more convenient solution.
How to use the beetroot shot
Many people use beetroot shots leading up to events like marathons or half marathons. Research shows you should preload for about three to six days before the race. The body stores nitrate in the muscles, similar to how it stores carbohydrates, so you need to build up those reserves. When you exercise, your body uses nitrate from the bloodstream first, and once that dips, it draws from the stores. If you haven’t preloaded, you’ll miss out on the full benefits. There’s no added benefit to taking it for more than a week, and more than two shots a day isn’t necessary as the body can’t absorb more.
You can use it in training too, especially if you’re serious about performance. Some people use it as a pre-workout about one to two hours before exercise. It can help you push harder, which may lead to better training adaptations. What’s unique about beetroot shots is that they’re not just great for sports but also for general health. Originally, they were developed to help manage high blood pressure, and they’re packed with natural polyphenols and antioxidants. It’s essentially a vegetable, so it’s good for you regardless! For everyday use, we also offer beetroot juice in an organic version, available in supermarkets. The shots are just a more concentrated form of that.
That’s interesting. I hadn’t noticed the juice in supermarkets — maybe it’s just not been on my radar. Is it widely available?
Yes, you can find it in most major supermarkets like Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Morrison’s, Waitrose, and Ocado. It’s definitely out there, just take a look down the drinks aisle!
Can beetroot juice help with recovery or reducing fatigue?
hat’s a really good question. While there hasn’t been extensive research in this specific area, most studies have focused on whether beetroot juice can improve performance; running harder, faster, or longer. However, beetroot contains antioxidants and other beneficial components that, in theory, should aid recovery. Interestingly, many of the recovery benefits have been more strongly associated with sour cherry juice.
This led us to create our Regen product, which combines 58% sour cherry concentrate and 42% beetroot. It’s made from just these two ingredients. This combination provides a powerful dose of antioxidants. The research on sour cherry juice has shown it can reduce muscle soreness—the delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) many people feel after a tough workout or long run. This effect comes from its ability to dampen the inflammation caused by exercise-induced muscle damage.
So how should people use Regen for recovery?
Regen is technically a recovery product, but for the best results, you should start taking it a few days before your race or intense training session. Continue using it on race day and for a few days afterward. Research now refers to this approach as “precovery” – you’re setting your body up to recover better by starting the process ahead of time. Taking it only after the event doesn’t yield as much benefit because it’s a bit late by then.
In terms of taste, Regen is primarily sour cherry, so it’s less intense than pure beetroot juice. It’s especially helpful for those with back-to-back races or events coming up soon. It’s a great option for anyone wanting to recover quickly and effectively.
It’s definitely appealing for anyone juggling multiple events. Do you know if it’s being used by other types of athletes?
We know a lot of Tour de France cyclists use sour cherry products. These athletes compete in multi-stage events and need to recover quickly between races. One of our contacts in the Netherlands, who’s well-connected in the cycling world, has shared how popular sour cherry has become for these kinds of athletes. So if your training or racing schedule involves similar demands, it’s definitely worth considering.
Are there any side effects of beetroot juice?
Yes, and this one surprises people. The main side effect is that beetroot juice can turn your urine and stools pink. It’s harmless and temporary, usually lasting about 12 to 24 hours. But if you’re not aware of it, it can be alarming. We’ve had people contact us after seeing pink urine, thinking they had a medical issue, only to realize it was from the beetroot juice. We do mention it on our labelling, but it’s not something we highlight prominently. Other than that, beetroot juice has been tested extensively by thousands of athletes over the past 15 years and is very safe to use.
That’s reassuring! A small trade-off for improved performance and recovery.
Beet-It Sport’s energy gel
The Energy Gel is a practical, functional gel inspired by the latest research. The gel contains 100mg of nitrate from beetroot, 30g of carbohydrates (from a 2:1 glucose-fructose mix), 150mg of sodium, and just a handful of natural ingredients—brown rice syrup, agave syrup, beetroot, and lemon. It’s vegan, gluten-free, and simple to consume mid-race. Depending on your run, you might take one or two gels per hour. It’s everything you’d expect from a regular energy gel, but with the added nitrate boost.
People often expect it to taste earthy or unpleasant because they associate beetroot with vinegar or salads. But our shots, while intense, surprise most people. We concentrate the beetroot, remove the fibre, and balance it with lemon. Yes, it’s slightly earthy, but nine times out of ten, people find it much more palatable than expected.
The gel is even milder, with a hint of sweetness from the rice and agave syrups. Many runners tell us it tastes great; less intense than the shots and easy to consume during activity. If you’re looking to improve performance naturally, this is an evidence-based and palatable option.
It’s appealing that it’s so natural. Some energy gels taste synthetic and can cause GI distress for runners.
Exactly. We’ve kept the ingredients simple to avoid those issues. Before launching the gel, we tested a lot of competitors’ products. Without naming names, some were … not great. Their ingredient lists were overly long and filled with unrecognizable items. We stripped our gel down to only what’s genuinely beneficial. It’s natural, functional, and based on solid evidence. That’s a key philosophy for us: keeping it simple and effective.
We did a lot of market research before launching the gel, and we tested a lot of competitive products. I won’t name them, but some of them were pretty disgusting. You only have to look at the ingredients — it’s often a long list, like reading a paragraph where you don’t even understand half of what’s in there.
We often thought, “Why do you need so much in there?” We wanted to strip it right back and include only what’s really beneficial. One thing we won’t compromise on is being natural and keeping it simple with the ingredients, though the benefits are more complex than what you’d find in a typical sports nutrition product. We like to keep things simple but effective, giving people what’s been shown to actually work. That’s something we’re committed to.
What sports have the new energy gels been designed for?
The gels haven’t been out long, only a couple of months. We’ve been distributing them across the UK and to our export markets. I think they’ll gain more traction early next year as events pick up. So far, the feedback has been great, particularly from ultra runners and marathon runners who’ve trialled it.
It might sound cheesy, but a few athletes have reported PBs while using it; that’s genuine feedback! A lot of people were also surprised by the taste. You never truly know how a gel will be during a run compared to trying it at a tasting table. The feedback has been really positive about its taste and how easily digestible it is, with no stomach issues. That’s a big deal for gels. At this point, it’s mainly been ultra and marathon runners using it, but we’re excited to see it expand further.
It’s definitely appealing to hear it could help prevent hitting the wall when you’ve pushed too far or still have a long way to go.
Exactly. The gel’s carbohydrates are great for giving your body glucose to keep going, but the nitrate makes your body more efficient at using that glucose. It’s more functional than a typical gel. We’re really looking forward to officially launching it. We’ll be exhibiting at the London Marathon next year, with a big stand and lots of sampling. It’s a bit of a way off, but we’ll have build-up events too. We’re excited to get it into people’s hands and hear how they get on with it.
Where to buy
You can find all our products at beet-it.com or simply search for Beet It online. We also sell through Amazon, and various independent cycle and run stores. If your favourite local shop doesn’t stock it, let them know, and we’d be happy to work with them. Supporting independent retailers is important to us, and we’re always keen to get our products into more stores.
You can listen to the full interview with Jonathan on the UKRunChat podcast here.
