Beetroot juice did not make trained swimmers faster in a pooled review

What the research found

Study (systematic review and meta-analysis). Vega-Monzo, Ranchal-Sanchez, Jurado-Castro, and colleagues report in Scientific Reports (doi 10.1038/s41598-026-65495-4; News-Medical 24 September 2026). Searches of Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus through 11 June 2026 found 12 eligible trials; nine, with 120 swimmers, could be pooled. Designs were mostly randomized crossovers of beetroot juice or nitrate against placebo. The included athletes were mostly young adult or university-level swimmers of both sexes, from moderately trained to elite, so this does not describe older swimmers. Most tests were 50 to 100 metres, with some repeated sprints; one trial used a 168 metre backstroke. Time-trial performance did not differ from placebo overall, and subgroups for sprints of 30 seconds or less, 30 to 90 seconds, and efforts longer than 90 seconds also showed no clear effect. Post-exercise lactate, from six studies and 69 swimmers, was similar. Perceived exertion, from seven studies and 100 swimmers, was slightly lower, but the studies disagreed and the easier feeling did not show up as faster swimming. Three trials were low risk of bias, six had some concerns, and three were high risk. GRADE certainty for performance was low because of bias and imprecision. The authors say current evidence does not support beetroot juice as a general performance aid for competitive swimming under the protocols studied, and a small effect cannot be ruled out. Educational supplement notes. Not a recommendation to take nitrate products.

Evidence level: Review of studies. This is among the stronger kinds of evidence, but one study rarely settles a question.

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