The Effect of Acute Beetroot Juice Supplementation on Anaerobic Performance in Football Players

NCT07048912 | Completed DMC

• 1 other identifier: SUBU-EROGLU-2025-01
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 16
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The aim of this clinical trial is to examine the effects of two different natural fruit-vegetable blend beverages on short-duration, high-intensity exercise performance and muscle oxygenation in young male football players. The study also investigates how these beverages influence certain metabolic responses. The main questions it seeks to answer are:

• Does one of the beverages improve peak and mean power output during the Wingate test?
• How do these beverages affect muscle oxygenation and post-exercise recovery?
• Researchers will compare the effects of the two beverages on performance and metabolic markers. Participants:
• Consume one of the two natural beverages 2.5 hours before testing (assigned at random)
• Perform a 30-second high-intensity Wingate cycling test
• Undergo measurements of muscle oxygenation, heart rate, blood pressure, blood lactate, and blood glucose during and after exercise
• Maintain consistent dietary and physical activity routines and avoid certain foods prior to testing

Conditions

Exercise Performance; Supplementation

Keywords

beetroot juice; muscle oxygenation; nitrate; football; high intensity efforts

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Mean power output during the 30-second Wingate anaerobic test

  Average power (in watts) generated during the 30-second Wingate cycling test will be compared between beetroot juice and placebo conditions to assess anaerobic performance.

  Day 1 (2.5 hours after supplementation, during Wingate test)

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Muscle oxygen saturation (SmO₂)

  Day 1 (pre-, during, and post-exercise on the day of Wingate test)

Study Arms (2)

Beetroot Juice (BJ)

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in this arm consumed 140 mL of nitrate-rich beetroot juice (\~12.8 mmol nitrate) as a single acute dose, approximately 2.5 hours before the performance assessments. The supplementation was administered in the morning under supervision, and participants were instructed to maintain their usual diet but avoid additional nitrate-rich foods 24 hours prior to testing.

Dietary Supplement: Beetroot Juice (BJ); Dietary Supplement: Blackcurrant Juice (Placebo)

Placebo

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in this arm consumed 140 mL of blackcurrant juice containing negligible nitrate (\<0.1 mmol) as a single acute dose, approximately 2.5 hours before the performance assessments. The supplementation was administered in the morning under supervision, and participants followed the same dietary instructions as the experimental group, avoiding nitrate-rich foods 24 hours prior to testing.

Dietary Supplement: Beetroot Juice (BJ); Dietary Supplement: Blackcurrant Juice (Placebo)

Interventions

Beetroot Juice (BJ) DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

This intervention involves a single 140 mL dose of a commercially available concentrated beetroot juice supplement (Beet-It Pro Elite Shot, James White Drinks Ltd., UK), containing approximately 12.8 mmol (800 mg) of dietary nitrate. Participants consume the juice 2.5 hours prior to performing a 30-second Wingate anaerobic test. The purpose of this intervention is to examine its acute effects on anaerobic performance, muscle oxygenation, and metabolic responses.

Beetroot Juice (BJ); Placebo

Blackcurrant Juice (Placebo) DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

This intervention involves a single 140 mL dose of a low-calorie blackcurrant juice (Pfanner, Austria) with negligible nitrate content (\<0.1 mmol). The placebo is matched to beetroot juice in appearance, taste, and packaging to ensure double-blind conditions. It is consumed 2.5 hours before the Wingate test and serves as the control condition.

Beetroot Juice (BJ); Placebo

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 19 Years
• Sex: male
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Healthy males over 18 years old
• Performing resistance exercise at least three times per week
• At least 5 years of football training experience

You may not qualify if:

• Contraindications to Wingate exercise
• Presence of cardiometabolic disease
• Current use of ergogenic supplementation
• Smokers

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Melike Nur Eroğlu: lead

Study Sites (1)

Sakarya University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Exercise and Sports Sciences Education, Application and Research Centre

Sakarya, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: TRIPLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Lecturer

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 11, 2025
• First Posted: July 3, 2025
• Study Start: July 1, 2024
• Primary Completion: July 21, 2024
• Study Completion: July 25, 2024
• Last Updated: July 3, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-06

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

TU (1)