Effect of Beetroot Nitrates on Different Physical Skills in Colombian Rugby Athletes

Summary

Beetroot is a source of nitrates, which have demonstrated various positive effects in sports, with little evidence in intermittent sports such as ball sports (including rugby). Therefore, the study's hypothesis is that it may also have an effect in these sports. For this purpose, a beetroot extract was used, a product approved by the Colombian institution in charge of product approval and registration in Colombia, the National Institute for Food and Drug Surveillance (INVIMA). This was done to determine whether it has any effect on various physical abilities required for rugby, such as speed, acceleration, strength, and fatigue perception.

Conditions

• Athletic Performance

Interventions

OTHER

beetroot juice - Placebo

Participants receive the beetroot and placebo in the form of waffles to ensure the study is blinded, as the 6 mmol of nitrates used require a high concentration of beetroot, which is masked by the waffle ingredients and food coloring.

OTHER

40 meters sprint

The participant performs a race at maximum speed with two attempts, times are taken at 10, 30 and 40 meters, to evaluate acceleration and speed, the attempt with the shortest times is the one taken for the research.

OTHER

Fitness test by bronco test

The participant runs a distance of 20, 40, and 60 meters, back and forth, 5 times at maximum speed. The variable to be measured is the total time taken to complete the test.

OTHER

Maximal strength

Each participant performs squats and bench press to evaluate lower-body and upper-body maximal strength, thus identifying their maximum strength taken per kilogram lifted.

OTHER

Borg scale

At the end of the tests, each participant is asked to evaluate their perception of fatigue by giving a number between 1 and 10, with 1 being the lowest level of fatigue and 10 being the highest.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Universidad Nacional de Colombia

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Ligia S Guerrero, PhD. MSc. ND · Universidad Nacional de Colombia

Study Design

Allocation

NON_RANDOMIZED

Purpose

OTHER

Masking

TRIPLE

Model

CROSSOVER

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

40 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-02-01

Primary Completion

2025-03-05

Completion

2025-03-13

Countries

• Colombia

Study Locations