(NaturalNews) Regular consumption of beet juice may boost athletic performance, increasing endurance while lowering blood pressure and reducing fatigue, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Exeter and published in the Journal of Applied Physiology.

On two separate occasions, the researchers had the same group of eight men between the ages of 19 and 38 drink 500 milliliters of an unknown beverage for six consecutive days, then perform a series of standardized tests on an exercise bicycle. On one occasion, the beverage was 500 milliliters of organic beetroot juice; on the other, it was a placebo of blackcurrant cordial.

The researchers found that men who drank the beetroot juice were able to cycle for 16 percent longer (92 seconds) than those who drank the placebo. This, in turn, would allow a cyclist to cover a set distance 2 percent faster. Participants also had a lower resting blood pressure after drinking beetroot juice than they did after drinking the placebo.

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