Acute Effects of Beetroot Juice Ingestion on Cognitive Function and Neuromuscular Performance in Elite Female Taekwondo Athletes (BEET_TAEKWONDO)

November 4, 2024 updated by: Universidad Pontificia Comillas
Beetroot juice is a good source of nitrate (NO3-), which is a precursor of nitric oxide (NO) through the NO3- to nitrite (NO2-) to NO pathway (Lundberg et al., 2008). Consequently, it is thought that a minimum threshold may exist for dietary NO3- consumption of at least 5 mmol to enhance athletic performance (Senefeld et al., 2020). In turn, systematic reviews have documented that the use of beetroot juice supplementation enhances muscle strength and power-related attributes (Gonzalez et al., 2023), as well as performance in repeated high-intensity activity bouts (Alsharif et al., 2023; Dominguez et al., 2018). However, beetroot juice supplementation has been shown to have equivocal effects on neuromuscular performance specifically among individual sport athletes (e.g. taekwondo). Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the effects of acute beetroot juice ingestion (140 mL, 12.8 mmol NO3-) on neuromuscular performance in elite female taekwondo athletes.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Beetroot juice is a good source of nitrate (NO3-), which is a precursor of nitric oxide (NO) through the NO3- to nitrite (NO2-) to NO pathway (Lundberg et al., 2008). This pathway is thought to promote increased sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium release and re-uptake with ensuing enhancements in force output within type II muscle fibers (Hernandez et al., 2012), as well as increased neurotransmitter release (Esen et al., 2022) and attenuated muscle potassium efflux (Wylie et al., 2013) that could benefit neuromuscular performance. Consequently, it is thought that a minimum threshold may exist for dietary NO3- consumption of at least 5 mmol to enhance athletic performance (Senefeld et al., 2020). In turn, systematic reviews have documented that the use of beetroot juice supplementation enhances muscle strength and power-related attributes (Gonzalez et al., 2023), as well as performance in repeated high-intensity activity bouts (Alsharif et al., 2023; Dominguez et al., 2018). However, beetroot juice supplementation has been shown to have equivocal effects on neuromuscular performance specifically among individual sport athletes (e.g. taekwondo). Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the effects of acute beetroot juice ingestion (140 mL, 12.8 mmol NO3-) on neuromuscular performance in elite female taekwondo athletes.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
7

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Spain
      • Madrid, Spain
        • Universida Pontificia Comillas

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age between 16 to 40 years
  • Competed in international taekwondo competitions representing her national teams.
  • More than6 years of training experience (at least 3 sessions per week).
  • Female taekwondo athletes.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Male taekwondo athletes.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
  • Masking: Quadruple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Beetroot juice supplementation
140 mL of beetroot juice (12.8 mmol of NO3-, Beet-It-Pro Elite Shot, James White Drinks Ltd., Ipswich, UK) made from concentrates of beetroot juice (98%) and lemon juice (2%) (nutritional information (per 100 mL), energy: 373 kJ; fat: 0 g; carbohydrates: 18 g [sugars: 17 g]; protein: 3.7 g; salt: 0.48 g)
Dietary supplement: Beetroot juice (James White, UK)
One serving 140 mL of BJ (12.8 mmol of NO3-; Beet-It-Pro Elite Shot, James White Drinks Ltd., Ipswich, UK) after an overnight fast and 2.5 h before initiating the testing session.
Placebo Comparator: Placebo supplementation
140 mL of beetroot juice placebo without nitrates (0.08 mmol of NO3-, Beet-It-Pro Elite Shot, James White Drinks Ltd., Ipswich, UK) made from concentrates of beetroot juice (98%) and lemon juice (2%) (nutritional information (per 100 mL), energy: 373 kJ; fat: 0 g; carbohydrates: 18 g [sugars: 17 g]; protein: 3.7 g; salt: 0.48 g)
Dietary supplement: Placebo acute supplementation (James White, UK)
One serving 140 mL of BJ (0.04 mmol of NO3-; Beet-It-Pro Elite Shot, James White Drinks Ltd., Ipswich, UK) after an overnight fast and 2.5 h before initiating the testing session.
Other Names:
  • Beetroot juice placebo

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Simulated taekwondo Combat (actions/time)
Time Frame: 1-week
Simulated taekwondo combat were performed according to the guidelines of the World Taekwondo (WT), and participants were divided based in the Olympic weight categories (WT, 2016). All the combats were executed in an official octagonal and homologated competition area while an international referee (who doesn´t know the experimental treatments) arbitrated. Today the rules of WTF led to use electronic protectors as protecting of athletes and identify electronically the punctuations (Del Vecchio, Franchini, Del Vecchio, & Pieter, 2011). Variables analyzed were attack time (AT), step time (ST), pause time (PT), period without attack (PWA = ST+PT), numbers of attacks (AN), the ratio for attack time and step time (R1 = AT/ST), and ratio for action time and step time (R2 = (AT+ST) /PT).
1-week

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Changes in maximal jump height (cm)
Time Frame: 1-week
Maximal jump height using a contact platform
1-week
Reaction time (ms)
Time Frame: 1-week
Reaction times in a specific reaction test with BlazePod ((Play Coyotta Ltd., Tel Aviv, Israel)
1-week
Blood lactate concentrations (mmol·L-1)
Time Frame: 1-week
Previous to the warm-up, just to the end of the simulated combat, and 3 minutes after, a researcher extracted a blood sample of the pad of the index finger of the left hand of the participants.
1-week
Rating of percevied exertion (RPE) (measured using scale 6-20 points)
Time Frame: 1-week
Immediately after each one of the 3 assaults, participants were asked for providing her RPE using a Borg scale from 6 to 20 points
1-week

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Universidad Pontificia Comillas

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
University of Seville

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
May 1, 2022

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
July 1, 2022

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
August 15, 2022

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
November 4, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 4, 2024

First Posted (Estimated)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
November 5, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
November 5, 2024

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 4, 2024

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
November 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • Ethics Committee: 22/172-E_TFM

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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