Red beetroot juice may have positive effects on multiple pathways involved in long COVID. The aim of this pilot study was to explore the impact of beetroot juice supplementation on physical function, gut microbiota, and systemic inflammation in adults with long-COVID
A single-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized trial to test the effects of 14 days of beetroot juice supplementation on functional and biological outcomes in adults with long-COVID. Participants were randomized 1:1 to receive either daily oral supplementation with 200 mL beetroot juice or placebo for 14 days. The primary endpoint was the change from baseline to day 14 in the fatigue resistance test. Secondary outcomes included the distance walked on the 6-min walk test, handgrip strength, and flow-mediated dilation. Secondary endpoints also included changes from baseline in circulating inflammatory mediators, metagenomic and fecal water metabolomic profiles. Partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) models were built to evaluate the differences in biological variables associated with the interventions.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
TRIPLE
Enrollment
31
200ml/d for 14 days
200ml/d for 14 days
Center for Aging and Geriatrics Research - UCSC
Rome, Italy
Fatigue resistance
The time (in seconds) when the pressure dropped to 50% of the maximum grip strength
Time frame: 14 days
Six-minute walk test
The distance walked (in meters) on the 6-min walk test
Time frame: 14 days
Flow-mediated dilation
the dilation of the brachial artery after a transitory bout of forearm ischemia
Time frame: 14 days
Changes in the concentration of gut microbial species
Changes in the concentration of gut microbial species as assessed through 16S rRNA analysis
Time frame: 14 days
Fecal water metabolomics
Changes in fecal water metabolomics by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy
Time frame: 14 days
Changes in the concentration of circulating inflammatory mediators
Changes in the concentration of circulating cytokines, chemokines, growth factors, extracellular vesicles
Time frame: 14 days
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