|
abstract:
Original paper
Acute effects of beetroot juice vs. creatine supplementation on
maximal strength, autonomic regulation, and muscle oxygenation
during incremental resistance exercise
Mohamed Ali Boujelbane
1, 2
,
Wolfgang I. Schöllhorn
1
,
Khaled Trabelsi
2, 4, 14
,
- Department of Training and Movement Science, Institute of Sport Science, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, 55122
Mainz, Germany
- High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Sfax, University of Sfax, Sfax 3000, Tunisia
- Research Laboratory, Molecular Bases of Human Pathology, LR19ES13, Faculty of Medicine of Sfax, University of Sfax, Sfax
3000, Tunisia
- Research Laboratory: Education, Motricity, Sport and Health, EM2S, LR19JS01, High Institute of Sport and Physical Education
of Sfax, University of Sfax, Sfax 3000, Tunisia
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Gangodawila, Nugegoda, Sri
Lanka
- SRH Campus Hamburg, SRH University of Applied Sciences Heidelberg, 20095 Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Kinesiology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
- Department of Research and Evaluation, The Phoenix, Denver, CO 80205, USA
- Government Hospitals, Manama, Bahrain
- Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain
- Laboratory of Biopesticides (LBPES), Center of Biotechnology of Sfax, University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
- Jozef Pilsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw, 00-809 Warsaw, Poland
- Department of Movement Sciences and Sports Training, School of Sport Science, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan
- Research Unit, Physical Activity, Sport, and Health, UR18JS01, National Observatory of Sport, Tunis 1003, Tunisia
Biol Sport. 2025;42(4):241–259
Online publish date: 2025/06/06
PlumX metrics:
This study investigated the acute effects of beetroot juice (BJ) and creatine (CR) supplementation on maximal strength, heart rate variability (HRV), and muscle oxygenation during incremental resistance exercise. Eleven physically active males (age = 21.36±1.8 years) completed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover protocol. Participants ingested either 0.3 g · kg−1 of CR or 15 g of beetroot powder (7.26 mmol·L −1 or 450 mg of nitrate) two hours before each session. The three testing sessions included bench press and back squat at 60%, 70%, and 80% of one-repetition maximum (1-RM) until failure. Repetition-to-failure, peak velocity, power, Heart rate, and muscle oxygen saturation (SmO2) were recorded during both exercises. HRV indices, lower-limb strength performance, blood lactate, and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were measured pre- and post-session. As intensity increased, maximum repetitions decreased significantly in all exercises and conditions (p < 0.05). Both BJ and CR improved peak velocity compared to placebo (p < 0.05). BJ led to lower peak heart rates at all intensities during BP and only at 80% of 1-RM during BS and higher SmO2 across all intensities (p < 0.05) compared to PLA and CR. From pre- to post session, lactate and RPE increased (p < 0.05) and lower -limb strength performance and HRV declined (p < 0.05), in all conditions, with no significant differences between BJ and CR. Compared to PLA, BJ showed significantly higher Root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD), Standard deviation of normal-to-normal intervals (SDNN), and high frequency (HF) power at both pre- and post-session (p < 0.05). CR supplementation resulted in significantly higher RMSSD values compared to PLA at both pre- and post-session time points (p < 0.001), while HF was significantly elevated only at post-session (p = 0.018), and SDNN showed no significant differences at either time point. Additionally, BJ revealed significantly higher RMSSD than CR at pre-session (p = 0.041). In conclusion, both BJ and CR significantly enhanced peak velocity during incremental resistance exercisescompared to placebo. However, BJ provided additional benefits in muscle oxygenation and autonomic nervous system regulation, particularly during high-intensity efforts.
keywords:
Nitrate, Ergogenic effect, Dietary Supplements, EIMD, Strength, Recovery
|
|
