Circulation & Nitric Oxide

Beetroot benefits: what the evidence actually shows.

Lists of beetroot benefits tend to present them all as equally settled. They aren’t, so we’ve ordered the ones we can source by how much trial evidence sits behind each, including the parts that don’t flatter beetroot.

NK Medically reviewed by Dr Nouman Kazmi, MBBS FCPS ·12 min read

Key Takeaways

  • As a food, beetroot contains a fair amount of folate: 100g of the raw vegetable has just over half of what the NHS says an adult needs in a day.
  • The strongest evidence for beetroot is on blood pressure readings. The trials are real but small, and the average fall is around 4 mmHg on the top number.
  • A 2017 analysis of 13 trials found a change in clinic readings but nothing significant on 24-hour or home monitoring. What your own cuff shows may not match the headline.
  • The middle step happens in your mouth. In one study, a week of antibacterial mouthwash cut the mouth’s nitrite production by 90 per cent, and blood pressure rose.
  • The exercise research is a separate question. Trials report gains in sprint and power tests, which says little about everyday stamina.
  • Juice, whole, pickled or capsule: the differences you can actually check are sugar, fibre and salt.
  • Three things to know if beetroot is a regular thing for you: pink pee, kidney stones and blood pressure medication.
In This Article
  1. Is beetroot good for you?
  2. How beetroot is meant to work
  3. Benefit one: blood pressure
  4. The middle step happens on your tongue
  5. Benefit two: exercise
  6. How much should you drink, and is every day okay?
  7. Does it matter when you drink it?
  8. Juice, whole, pickled or capsule?
  9. How long does it take, and how would you know?
  10. Side effects, and who should be careful
  11. Frequently asked questions
  12. The bottom line

Is beetroot good for you?

As a vegetable, yes. A 100g serving of raw beetroot covers just over half of the folate an adult needs in a day: about 109 micrograms (US Department of Agriculture data), against the 200 the NHS recommends. The British Heart Foundation also says beetroot can be enjoyed as part of a healthy diet.

It also brings potassium and fibre, about 2.8g of fibre in every 100g, and the BHF points out that you get more of that fibre eating it whole than drinking the juice. Whether beetroot does anything specific for you is a different question, and it’s the one the rest of this article is about.

How beetroot is meant to work

Beetroot is a concentrated source of dietary nitrate. The nitrate does nothing on its own: bacteria on your tongue turn it into nitrite, your body turns nitrite into nitric oxide, and nitric oxide tells the walls of your blood vessels to relax and widen. Think of it as a tap controlling water flow. More nitric oxide, and the tap opens a little wider.

The last link in that chain won a Nobel Prize. In 1998, Robert Furchgott, Louis Ignarro and Ferid Murad shared the prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discoveries about nitric oxide as a signalling molecule in the cardiovascular system. Beetroot is not the only food that feeds it, either. The British Heart Foundation lists spinach, celery, kale, bananas and strawberries as sources of nitrates too.

Everything below is about how well that chain holds up when researchers test it on people.

Ingredient
How Beetroot Supports Nitric Oxide
4.4
mmHg is the average fall in systolic blood pressure the 2013 pooled analysis found across 16 small trials of nitrate and beetroot juice. The trials lasted between two hours and 15 days, so it covers the first fortnight, not a year.

Benefit one: blood pressure

This is where most of the research sits, and it’s the reason beetroot has a reputation at all. In 2013, a pooled analysis of 16 trials, covering 254 people who each tried both the beetroot and a comparison, found that nitrate and beetroot juice were associated with a 4.4 mmHg fall in systolic pressure. For scale, that’s roughly the gap between a reading of 140 and one of 136. The change in diastolic pressure was 1.1 mmHg, which could have been chance. The trials were short, and the authors said the findings needed testing over longer periods.

Longer trials followed. The best known was led by Professor Amrita Ahluwalia at Queen Mary University of London, published in 2015 and covered by the BHF at the time. It randomised 68 people with high blood pressure to 250ml of beetroot juice a day for four weeks, or a nitrate-free beetroot juice as the comparison. Against the nitrate-free version, the top number fell by 7.7 mmHg in clinic, 8.1 at home and 7.7 over 24 hours. The bottom number fell by 2.4, 3.8 and 5.2. All three ways of measuring pointed the same way.

Not every analysis agrees, though. A 2017 pooled analysis of 13 trials lasting one to six weeks, covering 325 people, found a 4.1/2.0 mmHg fall in clinic readings but nothing significant on 24-hour or daily home monitoring. The authors concluded that the more accurate methods didn’t back up the clinic result. So if you try beetroot and watch your home readings for a few weeks, you may see a change and you may not, and neither would be unusual.

The BHF’s own summary is measured. The studies so far have included small numbers of people, and it says beetroot is not a magic bullet, though it can be enjoyed as part of a healthy diet.

Worth knowing

The BHF advises checking with your doctor before regularly drinking beetroot juice if you take medication for blood pressure, because readings dropping too far can affect your health.

The middle step happens on your tongue

The middle step of the chain, nitrate into nitrite, is done by bacteria living on your tongue, not by your body. That’s why one small study matters. Nineteen healthy volunteers used an antibacterial mouthwash for a week. Nitrite production in the mouth fell by 90 per cent, nitrite in the blood fell by 25 per cent, and blood pressure rose by 2 to 3.5 mmHg, starting within a day.

That study didn’t involve beetroot. It looked at the nitrate your body already recycles through saliva. But the same bacteria handle the nitrate you eat, which is why researchers in this field keep coming back to the mouth.

If you drink beetroot juice and then rinse with an antibacterial mouthwash, you may be switching off the step that does the work. It’s a question for your dentist or pharmacist, not a reason to stop brushing. If beetroot juice did nothing for you, this is one thing to check before you write it off.

Benefit two: exercise

Athletes have been drinking beetroot juice for years, and the evidence here is a separate body of research. A 2026 pooled analysis of 33 studies found people did better on high-intensity sprints, put out more power on average, and had a higher VO2max, the ceiling on how much oxygen your body can use. The authors call their findings hypothesis-generating, meaning a starting point for further trials rather than a conclusion.

The trials measured sprint and power outcomes, not how you feel on the stairs at home. It’s interesting if you train. It doesn’t say much about everyday stamina.

What else you’ll see claimed

Some lists also cover weight and belly fat, diabetes, skin, the liver, the kidneys and the gut, and plenty of people ask about them. We’ve left them out, because we haven’t reviewed sources for them that we’d be happy to cite. A benefit with no source behind it is only a sentence that sounds nice.

How much should you drink, and is every day okay?

There isn’t an official number. The BHF says there isn’t yet enough scientific evidence to give specific recommendations for beetroot juice. What it does give is a portion: 150ml, which counts once a day towards your five a day, however much more you drink.

Daily use is what the longer trials tested: the 2015 trial had people drink 250ml every day for four weeks. Outside a trial, the main things to weigh up are the sugar in a glass, which we look at below, and what your doctor says if you take blood pressure medication.

Does it matter when you drink it?

Morning or night is a question people ask a lot, and the one trial we found that tested it directly is small. Twelve young men had beetroot juice in the morning, the afternoon and the evening, on separate days. Nitrite in their blood rose by a similar amount at all three times. Central systolic pressure fell by 2 to 4 mmHg whichever time they drank it. The upper-arm reading didn’t change at any time of day, and neither did their cycling time to exhaustion.

It was a single dose in twelve young men, so take it as a hint rather than a rule. There’s no evidence yet that morning beats night. Pick a time you’ll stick to, because the longer trials were built on people taking it every day.

Juice, whole, pickled or capsule?

The evidence above mostly comes from beetroot juice, so it helps to know what’s in the glass. The BHF puts a 150ml portion at around 10g of sugar, and advises keeping all sugar, including from juices, to 30g a day. The 2015 trial used 250ml. By the BHF’s own figure that’s roughly 17g, which is more than half of a day’s allowance in one glass.

Pickled beetroot is the version many people ask about, and the BHF’s advice is to check the label, because the sugar and salt added to it vary a lot, and to choose a jar that’s low in both.

Capsules and powders exist for people who don’t fancy a glass every day, and that’s a fair reason to look at one. They come with their own catch. An extract ratio such as 50:1 shows how concentrated the extract is, not how much nitrate is in it. Nitrate is the ingredient that sets the whole chain going, and almost nobody in this category prints it, ourselves included. If you’re comparing supplements, our guide to the best beetroot supplements in the UK sets out what to look for on a label.

How long does it take, and how would you know?

The trials above ran from two hours to six weeks, and the longer ones are the more useful guide, because they asked people to take beetroot every day. A glass now and then would show nothing either way. Blood pressure also moves around across a single day and from one week to the next, so one reading, good or bad, means very little.

The way to find out is to take the same reading at the same time each morning and watch the trend over six to eight weeks, not the best or worst day. The Matter BP Tracker keeps that log for you, so you can see whether anything is moving instead of guessing.

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Side effects, and who should be careful

Beetroot is a food, and for most people the main surprise is the colour. There are three things to know if it’s becoming a habit.

Pink pee. If you’ve eaten beetroot recently, that’s one of the reasons the NHS lists for your pee turning pink. If you haven’t, or you can’t tell whether it’s the beetroot, ask for an urgent GP appointment or call NHS 111, even if you have no other symptoms. Blood in your pee should always be checked, even if you’re not sure it is blood.

Kidney stones. This one is advice for people who’ve already had a stone. About three quarters of kidney stones contain oxalate, and a patient leaflet from the Royal United Hospitals Bath tells people whose stone contains oxalate to avoid foods high in it. Beetroot is the first food on its list. If that’s you, ask the team that treated you whether beetroot suits you.

Blood pressure medication. This is the BHF advice in the box above: check with your doctor before drinking beetroot juice regularly if you take medication for blood pressure.

If any of those sounds like you, a quick word with your pharmacist or GP is all it needs.

Frequently asked questions

Yes, as a vegetable. 100g of raw beetroot has about 109 micrograms of folate, just over half of the 200 micrograms the NHS says adults need each day. Whether it does anything specific for you is a different question, and the evidence is strongest for blood pressure readings and small for exercise performance.

The best studied is blood pressure, followed by exercise performance. Both rest on small trials, and the changes are small. Claims beyond those two are thinner, and we haven’t covered them here.

In two pooled analyses of trials, nitrate-rich beetroot juice was associated with an average fall of around 4 mmHg in the top number. The 2017 analysis found that change in clinic readings but not on 24-hour or home monitoring, and the BHF says it’s no magic bullet. If you take medication for blood pressure, check with your doctor before drinking it regularly.

Daily is how the longer trials used it: the 2015 trial had people with high blood pressure drink 250ml every day for four weeks. The BHF doesn’t set a limit and says there isn’t yet enough evidence for specific recommendations. The thing to watch is sugar: by the BHF’s figure, a 250ml glass is roughly 17g, more than half its 30g daily limit. If you take blood pressure medication, check with your doctor first.

There’s no official figure. The BHF’s portion is 150ml, which counts once towards your five a day however much more you drink.

One small study gave 12 young men beetroot juice in the morning, afternoon and evening. Blood nitrite rose by a similar amount at all three times, central systolic pressure fell by 2 to 4 mmHg with no difference between them, and their upper-arm reading didn’t change. There’s no evidence yet that morning beats night, so pick a time you’ll stick to.

The trials measured effects over anything from two hours to six weeks, and the 2015 trial in people with high blood pressure ran for four weeks. Blood pressure moves around from day to day, so a single reading is a poor guide. Look at the trend over six to eight weeks.

Yes. It’s on the NHS’s list: having recently eaten beetroot is one reason pee can turn pink. If you’re not sure whether it’s the beetroot or blood, ask for an urgent GP appointment or call NHS 111, even if you have no other symptoms.

Two groups are advised to check first. If you take medication for blood pressure, the BHF says to check with your doctor before drinking it regularly. If you’ve had a kidney stone that contains oxalate, a patient leaflet from the Royal United Hospitals Bath advises avoiding high-oxalate foods and names beetroot first on its list, so ask the team that treated you. If you’re not sure either applies, your GP or pharmacist can tell you.

Mostly it depends on the jar. The BHF says to check the label, because the sugar and salt added to pickled beetroot vary a lot, and to pick one that’s low in both.

Most of the trial evidence is on juice, so that’s what we can speak to. Whole beetroot brings more fibre, according to the BHF, and juice concentrates sugar: around 10g in a 150ml portion. We haven’t reviewed head-to-head trials of the two, so take it as a practical choice rather than an evidence-based ranking.

It may. Your body relies on bacteria in your mouth to turn dietary nitrate into nitrite. In a 2013 study of 19 healthy volunteers, a week of antibacterial mouthwash cut nitrite production in the mouth by 90 per cent and blood pressure rose by 2 to 3.5 mmHg. That study didn’t involve beetroot, so ask your dentist or pharmacist before changing your routine.

The bottom line

Beetroot has a real but small evidence base for blood pressure readings and for sports performance, and we haven’t reviewed much beyond that. If you like it, give it a fair test: take it every day, keep an eye on the mouthwash, and track your own readings for six to eight weeks so you’re judging it on your numbers rather than a headline.

Either way, if you’ve had kidney stones or you take blood pressure medication, check with your doctor first, and carry on with whatever they’ve asked you to do.

Continue Learning

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How Beetroot Supports Nitric Oxide
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Dr Nouman Kazmi
Medically reviewed by Dr Nouman Kazmi Consultant Cardiologist (MBBS, FCPS). Dr Kazmi reviews clinical content on the Matter Heart Health Resource Centre for accuracy.
View Dr Kazmi’s profile →

References

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