During exercise, participants experienced about a 7% increase in muscle strength

A new study finds that consuming dietary nitrates before exercise can
enhance the amount of force that quadricep muscles can produce.
Biopsies of study participants revealed that the muscles of people who had
ingested a nitrate suspension held more nitrates than the control group.
The beneficial action of nitrates in muscles is not yet clear.
Beet juice is rich in nitrates, suggesting that drinking it may enhance
athletic performance without incurring issues increasingly associated with
nitrates in meats, processed meats, cheese, and bacon.
In a new randomized, crossover study, researchers demonstrate that the
consumption of dietary nitrates improves athletic performance, and they
explain why that may be.
The study found that during exercise, participants experienced about a 7%
increase in muscle torque, or strength, compared to those who consumed the
placebo.
The researchers at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom, together
with researchers from the University of Queensland, Australia, and the
United States National Institutes of Health (NIH).