Beetroot juice ‘improves exercise function of COPD patients’

Drinking beetroot juice appears to have a positive impact on the exercise function of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but a larger clinical study is needed to verify the results.

The research – undertaken by Wake Forest University's Translational Science Center in North Carolina – has been published online and will be included in the next edition of the journal Nitric Oxide: Biology and Chemistry.

It looked at a small group of COPD patients that drank beetroot juice compared to a placebo before attempting physical activity to see if it could improve the exercise capacity of people with this condition.

Researchers looked at how nitrite and its biological precursor nitrate (found in beetroot juice) can be utilised in treatments for a variety of conditions.

Dr Michael Berry, the primary investigator and lead author of the study, believes the findings show that those who ingested the beetroot juice were able to extend their exercise time, and had reduced exercise diastolic and resting systolic blood pressures

He commented: "One of the benefits of exercise is that if you get positive results, you're more likely to continue doing it. If beetroot juice positively impacts those results, it could motivate COPD patients to continue to be physically active and improve their health."