Taking beetroot juice and citrulline malate supplements does not change how much energy the body uses or how it balances oxygen and carbon dioxide during intense leg exercise in young, active men.

In young men who exercise regularly, consuming beetroot juice or citrulline malate does not make their leg muscles stronger during maximum effort cycling or leg extensions, even though beetroot juice raises certain compounds in the blood.

Consuming beetroot juice before intense leg exercise does not lead to increased blood flow in the main artery of the thigh or swelling in the large thigh muscle during the exercise.

Drinking beetroot juice with 400 mg of nitrate raises levels of nitrate and nitrite in the blood of young, active men during leg exercise, but does not improve how well they perform, how much blood flows to their muscles, how efficiently they use energy, or their hormone levels during the exercise.