Can beetroot juice or supplements lower blood pressure or improve exercise performance, and are they safe?

Answer:

Beetroot juice (also called beet juice) may modestly lower blood pressure, although this affects systolic more than diastolic pressure and it does not seem to help people with hypertension already treated with medication. This effect is likely due to nitrate in beetroot, which is converted by the body to the vasodilator nitric oxide. It is unclear if all beetroot supplements provide this benefit, as they contain varying and often low amounts of nitrate.

Nitrate in beetroot can also increase blood flow to muscles, but the evidence is mixed as to whether beetroot juice improves physical performance. At best, it modestly improves some aspects of exercise endurance or performance, especially in people who are not trained athletes and when the exercise is more physically challenging than to what one is accustomed.

Sign in as a member to learn more, including the dose of nitrate from beetroot that seems to be beneficial for these conditions, differences in the effect on men vs women, possible safety concerns (including whether the beetroot constituent known as Aze might increase the risk of multiple sclerosis and whether beetroot products high in nitrate might increase the risk of certain cancers), and amounts of nitrate in beetroot products, including Lakewood Organic Beetroot Juice, Knudsen and Sons, Ginger Beet Juice, Sport ProElite Shot, Beet It Organic Beetroot Shot, Beet Performer with Passion Fruit, Love Beets, PureClean Powder, Red Rush, BeetElite, Beet-Power, and Redibeets. Also learn the best way to store beetroot juice to preserve its nitrate content, and safety and potential side effects with beetroot juice.

(For information about the cardiovascular and/or exercise performance-enhancing effects of other supplements that may increase the body's production of nitric oxide, see our L-Citrulline and L-Arginine Reviews, as well as our article about hesperidin.)