Baranauskas, Marissa N.Altherr, Cody A.Gruber, Allison H.Coggan, Andrew R.Raglin, John S.Gupta, Samir K.Carter, Stephen J.2022-04-202022-04-202020-03-21Baranauskas, Marissa N et al. “Beetroot supplementation in women enjoying exercise together (BEE SWEET): Rationale, design and methods.” Contemporary clinical trials communications vol. 21 100693. 25 Dec. 2020, doi:10.1016/j.conctc.2020.100693https://hdl.handle.net/1805/28598Background: Postmenopausal women exhibit higher rates of disability and cardiovascular disease (CVD) with aging compared to men. Whereas habitual exercise training is a known strategy to enhance physiologic function in men and premenopausal women, exercise-related adaptations are often modest in postmenopausal women. We propose dietary nitrate (beetroot juice) administered prior to exercise training may be a feasible approach to improve mobility and cardio-metabolic health outcomes in postmenopausal women. Methods: Our randomized, placebo-controlled study aims to determine preliminary effects sizes for changes in functional mobility and endothelium-dependent vasodilation across three study arms: exercise only (EX), exercise + placebo (EX + PL), and exercise + beetroot (EX + BR). Thirty-six postmenopausal women are recruited in small cohorts wherein group exercise is implemented to facilitate social support and adherence to an 8-week training progression. Participants are randomized to one of three study arms (n = 12 per group) following baseline assessments. Post-intervention assessments are used to determine pre-post changes in outcome measures including distance covered during a 6 min walk test, walking economy, muscle speed and power, and endothelial-dependent vasodilation as determined by flow-mediated dilation. Measures of feasibility include recruitment, retention, adherence to exercise prescription, perceived exercise session difficulty, and adverse event rates. Discussion: Evidence-based, translational strategies are needed to optimize exercise training-related adaptations in postmenopausal women. Findings will inform larger randomized clinical trials to determine if pre-exercise consumption of beetroot juice is an efficacious strategy to promote mobility and attenuate CVD disease risk.en-USAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 InternationalDietary nitrateNitric oxidePostmenopausalMenopauseCardiovascular diseaseVascular healthArticle