Beetroot juice supplementation for the prevention of cold symptoms associated with stress: A proof-of-concept study

Psychological stress has been linked to common cold symptoms. Nitric oxide (NO) is part of the first line of epithelial defense against pathogens, and beetroot juice is a source of dietary nitrate that increases NO availability. We therefore tested whether beetroot juice protects against cold symptoms in a period of sustained acute stress. Seventy-six students, 16 of these with asthma, were randomly assigned to seven daily doses of beetroot...