Oxygen Water and Beets for Marathons

November 7, 2024 by Robert

Oxygen water and beets can help marathon runners to gain a competitive edge. By getting oxygen to the muscles, there is an improvement in performance in demanding sports such as marathon racing and competitive bicycling. [ technorati: 4XEF5MTXDDGB ]

Incredible but true, beets and beetroot juice might help to improve your performance, especially for endurance sports such as marathons. In general, this relates to a compound known as nitric oxide, or NO, which is known for its ability to trigger vasodilation; in other words, NO starts the relaxation of muscles, increasing blood flow in the body.

Until recently, researchers thought NO was only formed by converting the amino acid L-arginine into L-citrulline – and this reaction needs oxygen. Now, oxygen is in relatively short supply during activity, even more so when the action is high intensity. And so, no one thought NO played much of a role in athletic performance. Then in the 1990s, scientists discovered a second pathway for NO production that doesn’t require oxygen.

In this second pathway, naturally-occurring nitrate (NO3) from food is converted into nitrite (NO2) – note the spelling – by bacteria in our mouths. Nitrite is then converted to NO in our stomach and beyond, ultimately causing levels of NO in our bloodstream to rise. The key, however, is that this process can occur when oxygen is in short-supply, as would be the case during exercise. And while fruits and vegetables about 60-80% of our nitrate intake (note that nitrate from vegetables does not appear to be associated with cancer risk, as may be the case with cured and preserved meats), beets are one of the richest sources around.

— BeachBodyOnDemand.com

Long-time natural products industry executive Mark Becker recently completed his 100th marathon – The Los Angeles Marathon, on March 18, 2012. Mark completed the 26.2-mile course from Dodger Stadium to Santa Monica at 5:16:53.

For almost 30 years, Mark has participated in numerous endurance events, including more than 150 Olympic distance or longer triathlons, 100 marathons, and countless other events, including ultra marathons and rough water, and swims from Alcatraz to the mainland.

“I’ve always taken supplements that increase nitric oxide, explains Mark. “Nitric oxide has had a profound impact on my success because it’s responsible for blood flow, oxygen delivery, glucose uptake and muscle velocity. When I train and race, Nitric Oxide opens the blood floodgates, which promotes increased blood flow and oxygen. This significantly increases my endurance and recovery.”

— Mark
Marathon Runner

Oxygen Water Science

OXYGEN combines with glucose to create ATP, the primary energy source for your muscles. Therefore the more ATP available for your muscles, the more powerful and explosive they will be.
On the other hand, when your muscles don’t receive enough OXYGEN to support the amount of exertion you demand, they start producing the lactic acid that causes muscles to fatigue and eventually fails. So the more OXYGEN your muscles receive, the slower the production of lactic acid and the slower the muscles fatigue.
Your body needs OXYGEN to metabolize lactic acid in the liver AFTER exercise. The more OXYGEN you get into your body POST exercise, your muscles can recover faster.

The bottom line is that OXYGEN WATER can affect every aspect of performance for an athlete.