MuscleMecca Crew
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Beets (sometimes called beetroot) and beet juice help heart health and provide performance boosts to athletes by increasing levels of artery-relaxing nitric oxide. Relaxed arteries mean increased blood flow, which means better athletic performance. Russian and Eastern European countries’ teams have long treated their top athletes to beet stew/soup/borscht during training sessions and before competitions. American athletes finally picked up on that and have been doing it for a while, too.
But in addition to improved performance, there are many health boosts from beets and beet juice. The phytonutrients that give beets their deep crimson color have powerful anti-cancer properties, boost the immune system and help cleanse the liver. And now research has found that for seniors, drinking beet juice before working out may significantly increase exercise’s brain-boosting effects.
A recent study looked at 26 participants, mean age 65, who had a shot of beetroot juice one hour before a moderately intense, 50-minute treadmill workout. Those folks showed greater connectivity between the somatomotor cortex, a brain region associated with motor function, and the insular cortex, a brain region associated with cognitive functioning. The researchers said test subjects “had brain networks that more closely resembled those of younger adults.”
Source: http://www.kansas.com/living/health-fitness/article150528442.html
But in addition to improved performance, there are many health boosts from beets and beet juice. The phytonutrients that give beets their deep crimson color have powerful anti-cancer properties, boost the immune system and help cleanse the liver. And now research has found that for seniors, drinking beet juice before working out may significantly increase exercise’s brain-boosting effects.
A recent study looked at 26 participants, mean age 65, who had a shot of beetroot juice one hour before a moderately intense, 50-minute treadmill workout. Those folks showed greater connectivity between the somatomotor cortex, a brain region associated with motor function, and the insular cortex, a brain region associated with cognitive functioning. The researchers said test subjects “had brain networks that more closely resembled those of younger adults.”
Source: http://www.kansas.com/living/health-fitness/article150528442.html