Review By EnduriFit Team
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January 1, 1970 · 0 views

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Beet It Sport Nitrate 400 Review: Does Beetroot Actually Improve Performance?

Beetroot juice might be the most evidence-backed natural performance supplement available to endurance athletes. The science behind dietary nitrate and its conversion to nitric oxide — which dilates blood vessels and reduces the oxygen cost of exercise — is robust, peer-reviewed, and consistently supported across two decades of sports science research. Beet It Sport Nitrate 400 is the product most

But does it actually make you faster? And is it worth integrating into your routine as an Australian runner? This review examines the evidence, the practical experience, the taste, and exactly who stands to benefit most.

What Is Beet It Sport Nitrate 400?

Beet It Sport Nitrate 400 is a 70ml concentrated beetroot juice shot produced by James White Drinks in the UK. Each shot contains:

400mg of dietary nitrate (as inorganic nitrate from concentrated beetroot)
No added sugar beyond what naturally occurs in beetroot
No artificial preservatives or flavours
Approximately 85 calories per shot

The "400" refers to the 400mg of dietary nitrate per shot — the clinically relevant dose used in the majority of research studies demonstrating performance benefits. This specificity is important: many beetroot products on the market don't disclose their nitrate content or use insufficient doses that fail to replicate the research findings.

Australian pricing: approximately $8–$11 AUD per shot depending on retailer. Available in single shots and multi-packs (typically 15 or 30 shots). Multi-pack pricing reduces the per-shot cost meaningfully, and for runners planning a full loading protocol before a key race, buying a 15-pack is the most economical approach.

The Science: How Dietary Nitrate Works

Dietary nitrate (NO₃⁻) from beetroot is absorbed in the small intestine and enters the bloodstream. A significant portion is actively secreted into saliva by the salivary glands. In the mouth, bacteria on the tongue reduce nitrate to nitrite (NO₂⁻). When nitrite reaches the stomach, it's further reduced to nitric oxide (NO) — a process that accelerates in the low-pH environment of the stomach.

Nitric oxide is a potent vasodilator — it relaxes smooth muscle in blood vessel walls, increasing vessel diameter and reducing peripheral vascular resistance. For running performance, this translates to several measurable effects:

Reduced oxygen cost of exercise: The same pace requires less oxygen consumption. Studies consistently show a 1–3% reduction in the oxygen cost of running at submaximal intensities. For a VO2max-limited runner, this directly extends the duration and pace maintainable before reaching the aerobic ceiling.

Improved muscle contractile efficiency: Nitric oxide appears to improve the efficiency of the muscle's calcium-handling mechanisms, allowing the same force output with less ATP expenditure. This effect is particularly relevant during sustained efforts above lactate threshold.

Enhanced microvascular blood flow: Improved microvascular function increases oxygen and nutrient delivery to working muscles and accelerates the removal of metabolic waste products during sustained exercise.

Practical performance gains: Meta-analyses of nitrate supplementation research show consistent time trial improvements of 1–3% in endurance events. For a 4-hour marathoner, a 1.5% improvement equals approximately 3.6 minutes off finishing time. For a 90-minute half marathoner, it represents roughly 80 seconds — meaningful at any competitive level.

Beet It vs Other Nitrate Sources

Not all beetroot products are created equal, and this distinction is where many runners waste money on products that won't deliver research-equivalent results.

The problem with fresh beetroot juice: Standard beetroot juice — from the supermarket, a juice bar, or your own juicer — contains highly variable amounts of dietary nitrate. A typical glass of fresh beetroot juice might contain anywhere from 100–400mg of nitrate depending on the beetroot variety, soil nitrate content, growing conditions, storage time, and preparation method. This variability makes it impossible to reliably dose.

The advantage of Beet It Nitrate 400: The concentrated shot format standardises the dose at exactly 400mg per shot. This is the primary reason it's used in research studies — scientists need consistent, reproducible dosing to generate valid data. For athletes, this dose certainty means you know exactly what you're taking and can replicate results predictably across training and racing.

Beetroot powder capsules: Various brands sell encapsulated beetroot powder as a more palatable alternative to the concentrated shot. The challenge is that the nitrate content of powdered products is almost always lower and less consistent than concentrated shots, and most don't disclose their nitrate content in mg. Without knowing the nitrate dose, you can't know whether you're in the effective range.

Other concentrated shots: Competitors in the concentrated shot market include Biotta Organic Beetroot Juice and several sports nutrition brands that produce nitrate-specified shots. Always verify that the product explicitly states its inorganic nitrate content in milligrams. Products that don't disclose this figure should be treated with scepticism.

Timing: When to Take It

Optimal timing of nitrate supplementation is one of the most practically important considerations, and getting it wrong can mean taking the shot when the performance window has passed or hasn't yet opened.

Single acute dose: Plasma nitrate concentrations peak approximately 1–2 hours after consumption, with plasma nitrite (the intermediate in the nitrate-to-nitric-oxide pathway) peaking at 2–3 hours post-ingestion. Nitric oxide availability is highest in the 2–3 hour window. For a race with a 7:00 AM start, take your shot at 4:00–4:30 AM. This timing is inconvenient — setting an alarm specifically for your beetroot shot is a genuine race morning requirement.

Loading protocol: Research from the University of Exeter and other institutions suggests that a 5–6 day loading protocol (400mg nitrate daily in the days before a race, plus a final shot on race morning) produces greater and more consistent performance benefits than a single acute dose alone. The loading approach saturates the body's nitrate stores and establishes elevated nitrite levels before the acute pre-race dose tops them up.

Practical loading protocol: one Beet It shot per day for the 5–6 days before your race, consumed at any time during the day. On race morning, take an additional shot 2.5–3 hours before the start.

Training use: For regular training benefits, one shot per day on quality session days (3–4 times per week) is the most practical approach. Daily loading throughout a heavy training block may enhance chronic adaptations including mitochondrial biogenesis and vascular adaptations, though the evidence for long-term chronic supplementation is less established than acute and short-term protocols.

The mouthwash warning: This is critical and frequently overlooked. Mouthwash kills the oral bacteria on the tongue that are responsible for the essential nitrate-to-nitrite reduction step. Using antibacterial mouthwash within 2 hours of taking a beetroot shot — or as a morning habit before your race — eliminates the conversion pathway and renders the supplement completely ineffective. Switch to non-antibacterial mouthwash or simply skip mouthwash on race morning.

Taste: The Elephant in the Room

Let's address this directly — Beet It Sport Nitrate 400 tastes like concentrated beetroot. Earthy, slightly sweet, and unmistakably vegetable. For many runners, especially those taking it at 4:30 AM on race morning when nerves are already affecting appetite, the flavour is a genuine challenge.

Strategies for managing the taste:

Chase immediately with 200–300ml of water to dilute any residual taste
Hold your breath while drinking (this significantly reduces flavour perception by limiting retronasal olfactory input)
Chill the shot in the fridge the night before — cold temperatures reduce taste intensity
Mix with a small amount of orange juice (note: this adds carbohydrates and minimal sugar, and may slightly delay gastric emptying)

The taste doesn't improve dramatically with repeated use for most people. What does change is your psychological relationship with it — experienced beetroot supplementers develop a kind of matter-of-fact approach, treating it as medicine rather than a beverage. The performance benefit becomes the context that makes the flavour irrelevant.

Beeturia: Approximately 10–14% of the population experience beeturia — pink or red discolouration of urine and stools after consuming significant beetroot. This is completely harmless and reflects a genetic variation in how the body metabolises betacyanin (the pigment in beetroot). It can be alarming if unexpected, particularly for athletes who haven't been warned. It's worth noting that beeturia is not an indicator of effectiveness — those who don't experience it are absorbing and metabolising the nitrate equally well.

Who Benefits Most?

The research is consistent that specific athlete profiles benefit more substantially from nitrate supplementation, and understanding this helps calibrate your expectations.

Recreational and sub-elite runners: This is the strongest finding in the literature. Elite runners with highly optimised oxygen delivery systems — where microvascular efficiency is already near its ceiling — often show smaller or no statistically significant improvements. Recreational runners (marathon finishing times of 3:00–5:30), club-level athletes, and age-groupers consistently show the 1–3% improvements that make nitrate supplementation worthwhile. If you're racing in the 3:30–5:00 marathon range, you're in the demographic that benefits most.

Altitude training and racing: Nitrate supplementation shows meaningfully amplified benefits at altitude, where reduced oxygen partial pressure already compromises aerobic performance. For Australian runners heading to Falls Creek, Thredbo, or international altitude camps, Beet It is a particularly evidence-backed addition to the training arsenal. Some research shows that at 2,500m altitude, the performance benefit from nitrate supplementation approaches twice the sea-level effect.

Masters athletes (40+): Endogenous nitric oxide production declines with age due to reduced eNOS (endothelial nitric oxide synthase) activity and increased oxidative stress. Dietary nitrate supplementation provides a substrate-driven bypass of the eNOS pathway, partially compensating for age-related vascular dysfunction. Multiple studies show stronger nitrate supplementation responses in athletes over 40 compared to younger cohorts.

Intermittent hypoxia: Any scenario where local muscle oxygen delivery is transiently limited — steep hill running, the final kilometres of a hard tempo run — may show enhanced nitrate effects, as nitric oxide production from nitrite increases under hypoxic conditions.

Practical Race-Week Protocol for Australian Runners

Here's a concrete race-week protocol that captures maximum benefit from Beet It supplementation:

Days 6–2 before race: One Beet It Sport Nitrate 400 shot daily, any time of day. Store remaining shots in the fridge.

Day before race (day 1): One shot in the evening (6–8pm). Avoid antibacterial mouthwash from this point.

Race morning: Wake up 3+ hours before race start. Take one Beet It shot immediately with water. Complete your remaining pre-race routine.

Race morning mouthwash: Skip antibacterial mouthwash entirely. Brush teeth normally with toothpaste (the low concentration of antibacterial agents in standard toothpaste doesn't meaningfully impact oral bacteria).

Total cost for this protocol: 8 shots × $9 = approximately $72 AUD. Expensive, but a single investment for your A-priority race of the year.

Cost Analysis: Is It Worth the Price?

At $8–$11 AUD per shot, Beet It isn't cheap. A full 6-day loading protocol (7 shots including race day) costs $56–$77 AUD. For regular training use at 3 shots per week, monthly cost runs to approximately $100–$130 AUD — a significant supplement budget line.

The cost-benefit calculation depends on what a 1–3% improvement is worth to you. For a runner chasing a Boston Qualifying time or a specific age-group placing, saving 3 minutes off a marathon time is potentially race-defining. For purely recreational runners without time goals, the calculus is more personal.

Practical cost-reduction strategies:

Use the full loading protocol only for your A-priority races (typically 2–3 per year). For B-priority races and tune-up events, a single acute dose on race morning still provides meaningful benefit at reduced cost. For training sessions, limit Beet It use to your two or three most important quality sessions per week rather than daily loading.

The 30-shot multipacks from iHerb AU represent the best per-shot pricing available in Australia and are the recommended purchase format for runners planning a full season of targeted supplementation.

Where to Buy in Australia

iHerb AU (iherb.com/au): Best pricing, reliable stock, fast Australian delivery. Multi-pack options reduce per-shot cost significantly.
Sportitude (sportitude.com.au): Australian specialty retailer, good stock of single shots and small multi-packs
Selected health food stores: Some larger natural food retailers stock Beet It Sport shots in the sports nutrition section
Direct multi-pack ordering: Checking the James White Drinks website for bulk pricing is worth comparing against iHerb for large orders

Final Verdict

Beet It Sport Nitrate 400 is the most evidence-backed natural performance supplement for endurance runners. The research supporting dietary nitrate is comprehensive and consistently positive, the dose in Beet It matches research protocols precisely, and the performance benefits — while not transformative — are real and meaningful for recreational, masters, and altitude-training athletes.

The taste is challenging, the early-morning timing is inconvenient, and the price is significant for regular use. But for targeted deployment around key races and important training sessions, it's one of the most scientifically credible additions you can make to your performance supplement protocol.

If you're a recreational marathon runner (3:30–5:00 range), a masters athlete, or a runner heading to altitude, the evidence is strong enough to warrant a serious trial. Just remember: never use antibacterial mouthwash within 2 hours of taking it, and buy your shots in multi-packs to manage the cost.

Rating: 8.5/10

Strong recommendation for recreational and masters runners. Most evidence-backed natural supplement available in the endurance sports market.

Prices quoted are approximate AUD as of 2026. Available at iHerb AU and selected Australian specialty retailers. Always test supplementation protocols in training before deploying them on race day.