NCT04370756

Beetroot Supplementation in Women Enjoying Exercise Together

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 30 (actual)
• Sponsor: Indiana University · Academic / Other
• Sex: Female
• Age: 18 Years – 75 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

This study seeks to determine the feasibility of an exercise training progression with the consumption of beetroot juice prior to exercise in postmenopausal women. Results from this investigation will be used to determine preliminary effect sizes for exercise training only (control) and exercise training + beetroot juice (EX+BR) to inform the direction of larger randomized clinical trials on pre-post changes in measures of cardiovascular health and endothelial function.

Detailed description

An increasing body of evidence has supported acute benefits of beetroot juice including lowered blood pressure and greater muscle oxygenation during exercise. Thus, consumption of beetroot juice prior to exercise may alter the perceptual difficulty for a given exercise bout -- possibly resulting in an individual exercising at a greater intensity (without the commensurate increase in discomfort). The investigators propose that repeated exposure to a relatively greater exercise stimulus (via beetroot juice) may elicit more robust cardio-metabolic adaptations compared to exercise training alone (i.e., without beetroot juice). Possible findings could inform a larger randomized clinical trial to determine if pre-exercise beetroot juice supplementation is an effective strategy to promote health related benefits. The investigators will examine the effects of pre-exercise beetroot juice coupled with 8 weeks of supervised exercise training among post-menopausal (75 and younger) women. Qualified individuals will be required to complete an initial screening visit as well as three baseline visits (Visits 1-2). Participants will undergo a series of tests including: dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scan, bioelectrical impedance analysis, exhaled fraction of nitric oxide, health-related questionnaires, and pulse wave velocity. Participants will also be asked to perform leg muscle function and walking tests. Following the completion of Visits 1-2, participants will attend supervised exercise training sessions 3x/week for 8 weeks. Within 2-6 days from the last exercise training session, participants will repeat the same measurement procedures. The primary objective involves elements of feasibility (e.g., recruitment, retention, adherence, and adverse event) and to generate preliminary effect sizes for 8 weeks of exercise training for two groups: control and EX+BR. Secondary objectives involve preliminary effect sizes for pre-post changes in distance covered during the 6-minute walk test, changes in endothelial-dependent vasodilation, and biomarkers of cardiovascular health.

Conditions

• Aging
• Postmenopause
• Obesity

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT	Beetroot Juice	Participants randomly assigned to the EX + BR group will consume 140 mL beetroot juice containing approximately 12 mmol of nitrate 3 hours prior to the supervised exercise training component.
OTHER	Exercise Training	Participants will perform 8 weeks of supervised exercise training at a frequency of 3x per week.

Timeline

• Start date: 2020-01-30
• Primary completion: 2023-05-26
• Completion: 2023-05-26
• First posted: 2020-05-01
• Last updated: 2024-02-21

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States