Beet It Sport Nitrate Energy Gel: The Smarter Energy Gel for Runners and Cyclists
Quick summary A nitrate energy gel combines fast-acting carbohydrates with dietary nitrate in one gel. The carbs fuel your muscles; the nitrate is converted into nitric oxide, which supports...
Quick summary
A nitrate energy gel combines fast-acting carbohydrates with dietary nitrate in one gel. The carbs fuel your muscles; the nitrate is converted into nitric oxide, which supports blood flow and helps your muscles use oxygen more efficiently. The Beet It Sport Nitrate Energy Gel Top Up 100 provides ~30g carbohydrate and 100mg natural beetroot nitrate per gel. It is 100% natural and Informed Sport certified. Take 1–2 gels per hour during a run or ride, each with water as normal, to top up both energy and nitrate mid-effort. Research links dietary nitrate to better exercise economy and improvements in time to exhaustion (reported in the 4–25% range, varying by athlete and event).
Most energy gels do one job: they give you carbohydrates. That's useful, but it only solves some of the endurance puzzle. Fuel replaces the energy your muscles burn, but it isn't really designed to lower the oxygen cost of holding your pace. That's a separate lever, and it's the one dietary nitrate is studied and used for.
But, Beet It Sport Nitrate Energy Gel is built to do both. Each gel delivers fast-absorbing carbohydrates for immediate energy and a controlled 100mg of natural dietary nitrate to support oxygen efficiency. It's the same performance science behind the Beet It Sport shots trusted by professional cycling, rugby and Olympic teams - now in a convenient, mid-race format you can carry in a jersey pocket or race belt.
If you already fuel with energy gels for running or a cycling energy gel, this is the upgrade: a gel that tops up your tank and helps your engine run more efficiently at the same time.
What is a nitrate energy gel?
A nitrate energy gel is an endurance supplement that combines two things standard gels keep separate:
- Fast-acting carbohydrates - the quick-release fuel your working muscles burn during hard efforts.
- Dietary nitrate - naturally sourced from beetroot, which your body converts into nitric oxide to support blood flow and oxygen delivery.
In short, it fuels the effort and supports the physiology that makes that effort more economical. The Beet It Sport Nitrate Energy Gel provides roughly 30g of carbohydrate plus 100mg of nitrate per gel, in a 100% natural formula.
How nitrate gels differ from a standard carbohydrate gel
This is the core difference worth understanding before your next race.
| Standard carb gel | Beet It Sport Nitrate Energy Gel | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary job | Delivers carbohydrate energy | Delivers carbohydrate energy |
| Dietary nitrate | None | 100mg natural beetroot nitrate |
| Supports oxygen efficiency | No | Yes, via nitric oxide |
| Source | Often synthetic flavours/additives | 100% natural, beetroot-based for nitrate and agave-brown rice for carbs |
| Informed Sport certified | Varies | Yes |
A standard gel refuels you. A nitrate gel refuels you while continuing to top up the nitrate levels that help your muscles sustain the same effort using less oxygen - which matters most in the back half of a long ride or run, exactly when fatigue is setting in.
The science: nitric oxide, vasodilation and oxygen efficiency
When you consume dietary nitrate, your body converts it - via nitrite - into nitric oxide (NO). Nitric oxide is a signalling molecule that triggers vasodilation: it relaxes and widens your blood vessels.
Wider vessels mean improved blood flow, which allows oxygen and nutrients to reach your working muscles more efficiently. The practical payoff for endurance athletes shows up in three ways that the research consistently points to:
- Improved exercise economy - you use less oxygen to hold a given pace or power output.
- Increased time to exhaustion - this is one of the most striking findings in the research. A landmark University of Exeter study found six days of beetroot juice increased cyclists' time to exhaustion during high-intensity exercise by around 16% (Bailey et al., 2009), and broader reviews report improvements in the range of 4–25% for time-to-exhaustion tests, with the effect varying by exercise type, trial duration and training status.
- Better muscle contractility - nitrate supports muscle function, with some evidence of benefits to short, sharp efforts and sprint finishes.
Because these effects are tied to keeping your nitrate levels topped up, a gel you can take during an event is a genuinely useful tool - not just something you load in the days beforehand.
Why the "natural" beetroot source matters
Not all nitrate is equal, and the distinction is worth making clearly. Beet It Sport products are built on concentrated beetroot juice - a natural, whole-food source of dietary nitrate - rather than synthetic additives.
Two things make this credible rather than just a claim:
- Informed Sport certification. Beet It Sport is tested for banned substances, which is why it's used by professional and Olympic-level teams who can't afford a contamination risk.
-
Clinically relevant dosing. The nitrate content is meaningful, not a token amount, and it's consistent from serving to serving - so you know what you're actually getting.
This last point matters most over long efforts, and there's research to back it up. In a University of Exeter study, cyclists completed two hours of moderate-intensity riding under different conditions. When beetroot juice was taken before exercise only, plasma nitrite (the marker of available nitrate) fell by around 17% over the two hours. When it was taken before and again one hour in, nitrite actually rose by around 8%, and the usual creep in oxygen cost that comes with a long effort was blunted (Tan et al., 2018).
In other words, taking nitrate during a prolonged event, not just before it, helps keep availability topped up so the benefit does not fade as the hours add up. That is exactly what the gel's "top up" design is for.
For any athlete competing under drug-tested conditions, "natural and certified" isn't a nice-to-have. It's the baseline.
How to use Beet It Sport Nitrate Energy Gel
Getting the most from nitrate supplementation is about timing and consistency, not just dose. Here's how endurance athletes typically build it into a race or big session.
1. Load in the days before (optional but effective). For a key event, "nitrate loading" builds your baseline levels. A common approach is one Beet It Sport Nitrate 400 shot per day for 3–6 days leading into competition.
2. Prime yourself pre-event. Take a nitrate 400 shot around 2-3 hours before the start, so plasma levels are peaking as you begin.
3. Top up during the event. This is where the gel earns its place. Nitrate availability fades over a long effort, so aim for 1-2 gels per hour during your race or long session to replenish carbohydrates and keep nitrate levels topped up, rather than letting them taper off mid-effort. Research suggests it's this mid-event top-up, not just the pre-race dose, that keeps better supporting oxygen efficiency deeper into a long ride or run.
4. Take it with water. Have each gel with roughly 300ml of water. This aids absorption and helps prevent the stomach discomfort that catches out a lot of athletes fuelling on the move.
Always test your fuelling strategy in training before race day — never trial something new for the first time in competition.
Energy gels for running and cycling: getting the timing right
Whether you're running or riding, the principle is the same:
fuel on a steady schedule rather than timing a gel to a single moment, take each one with water as normal, and keep both carbohydrates and nitrates topped up across the effort.
Importantly, remember to test your fuelling routine in training before race day.
Frequently asked questions
What do nitrates do for endurance athletes? Dietary nitrates convert into nitric oxide in the body, which widens blood vessels and improves blood flow. For endurance athletes this lowers the oxygen cost of exercise, supports better exercise economy, and can extend time to exhaustion - helping you hold a pace or power output for longer before fatiguing.
How is a nitrate gel different from a normal energy gel? A normal gel supplies carbohydrate only. A nitrate gel supplies carbohydrate plus dietary nitrate, so it fuels your muscles and supports how efficiently they use oxygen at the same time. This based on research from Exeter University where athletes who had nitrate during exercise as well as before, prolonged the potential benefits.
How many gels should I take during a race? As a general guide, 1–2 gels per hour, each taken with water as normal. Fine-tune this in training to suit your gut, sweat rate and event length.
Do I still need beetroot shots if I'm using the gel? They work best together. Shots are ideal for loading in the days before and priming 2–3 hours pre-event; the gel is designed for topping up carbs and nitrate during the effort.
Is Beet It Sport Nitrate Energy Gel suitable for drug-tested athletes? Yes - Beet It Sport is Informed Sport certified, meaning it's batch-tested for banned substances.
The bottom line
A standard gel keeps you fuelled. Beet It Sport Nitrate Energy Gel keeps you fuelled and supports the oxygen efficiency that separates a strong finish from a fade. It's the natural, Informed Sport–certified evolution of the energy gel - carbohydrates for the effort, beetroot nitrate for the engine.
Ready to upgrade your race-day fuelling? Explore the Beet It Sport Nitrate Energy Gel Top Up 100, or pair it with shots in the Performance & Recovery Pack to cover loading, priming and mid-race top-ups in one go.
Want the deeper science? Read our guide on how Beet It Sport nitrate shots boost endurance and muscle efficiency.
Key references:
- Bailey, S.J. et al. (2009). Dietary nitrate supplementation reduces the O2 cost of low-intensity exercise and enhances tolerance to high-intensity exercise in humans. Journal of Applied Physiology, 107(4), 1144–1155.
- Dietary nitrate supplementation and exercise performance review, Nutrients (2021) — reporting a 4–25% range for time-to-exhaustion tests, citing IOC guidance.
- Tan, R., Wylie, L.J., Thompson, C., Blackwell, J.R., Bailey, S.J., Vanhatalo, A. & Jones, A.M. (2018). Beetroot juice ingestion during prolonged moderate-intensity exercise attenuates progressive rise in O2 uptake. Journal of Applied Physiology, 124(5), 1254-1263. University of Exeter, UK.