Özet:

Introduction: The beetroot has been investigated recently for being a food that owns possible ergogenic effect in sports. Amongmany effects attributed to beetroot's nitrate, can be highlighted the improvement in efficiency of muscle mitochondria and vasodilatation. The beet juice supply has been shown effective for performance improvement, especially in long-term activities. Purpose: Evaluate the potential ergogenic effects of beetroot juice consumption in the performance of adolescent handball athletes. Materials and Methods: In a randomized, placebo controlled, double blind crossover trial, 10 female teenagers were subjected into two different situations (7 days of washout): i. Consumption of 500 ml of beetroot juice (BR); ii. Liquid placebo consumption (PL), both followed by conducting a performance test three hours later. Time (s), speed (m/s), blood pressure, heart rate and scale of perceived exertion (Borg scale) were recorded. Results: mean age was 13 ± 0.2 years, mean weight 49.9 ± 3.58 kg, mean height 161 cm 3 ± and calculated mean BMI was 19.15 kg/m2± 1.07. Athletes showed mean time = 22.13 s (BR) x22.66 s (PL), average speed= 4.88 m/s (BR) X 4.77 m/s (PL). Blood pressure, heart rate and perceived exertion did not show significant differences between groups. Conclusion: The consumption of beetroot juice as a single dose, three hours before physical activity, can presenta positive alternative to improve athletic performance among females athletes of handball modality.

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