Beetroot: Research
Overview
This page provides a curated overview of selected peer-reviewed scientific studies examining beetroot, beetroot juice, and dietary nitrate, a naturally occurring compound found in beetroot and other nitrate-rich vegetables. The goal of this page is to provide transparent access to commonly cited research in the scientific literature. The summaries below describe findings reported in published studies. They are presented for educational purposes as part of a clinician-led review of the scientific literature.
Important Context for Readers
Scientific studies examine outcomes in defined populations under specific research conditions. Results reported in individual studies may not apply to all individuals, and findings should not be interpreted as guaranteed outcomes. This page summarizes selected research examining cardiovascular biomarkers, exercise physiology, cerebral blood flow pathways, oxidative balance, and related biological mechanisms studied in relation to beetroot and dietary nitrate. It is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment recommendations. This page is provided for educational purposes and does not include product recommendations or affiliate links.
Summary of Evidence
Across human clinical studies and meta-analyses, beetroot juice and dietary nitrate have been studied for their potential associations with nitric oxide pathways, blood pressure biomarkers, endothelial function, oxygen efficiency during exercise, and selected measures of performance.
While results vary across study populations, nitrate dose, study duration, baseline health status, training status, and formulation, multiple randomized trials and pooled analyses have reported favorable changes in vascular and exercise-related outcomes. Many studies used quantified nitrate doses, commonly delivered as nitrate-rich beetroot juice or concentrated beetroot juice shots.
Key Areas of Research
Cardiovascular and Vascular Support
Evidence strength: Moderate.
Several randomized trials and meta-analyses have examined beetroot juice and dietary nitrate in relation to blood pressure, nitric oxide biology, endothelial function, and vascular physiology.
1) Webb AJ, Patel N, Loukogeorgakis S, et al. Acute blood pressure lowering, vasoprotective, and antiplatelet properties of dietary nitrate via bioconversion to nitrite. Hypertension. 2008.
PMID: 18250365
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.107.103523
Population: Healthy adults studied after ingestion of nitrate-rich beetroot juice.
Design: Human clinical study examining acute blood pressure, platelet function, and vascular effects after dietary nitrate intake.
Key findings:
• After ingestion of 500 mL nitrate-rich beetroot juice, blood pressure reductions were reported within several hours under study conditions
• Systolic blood pressure was reported to be approximately 10 mmHg lower near peak effect, with effects persisting to a lesser degree at 24 hours
• Plasma nitrate and nitrite increased after beetroot juice ingestion
• Vasoprotective and antiplatelet effects were also reported under study conditions
• Findings helped establish the nitrate–nitrite–nitric oxide pathway as a central mechanism in beetroot research
2) Siervo M, Lara J, Ogbonmwan I, et al. Inorganic nitrate and beetroot juice supplementation reduces blood pressure in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Nutr. 2013.
PMID: 23596162
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3945/jn.112.170233
Population: Adults across randomized controlled trials evaluating inorganic nitrate or beetroot juice supplementation.
Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.
Key findings:
• In pooled analyses, inorganic nitrate and beetroot juice supplementation were associated with significant reductions in systolic blood pressure
• Across included studies, systolic blood pressure reductions were generally in the low single-digit mmHg range
• The effect was influenced by nitrate source, dose, study duration, and baseline blood pressure
• Findings support an association between dietary nitrate intake and blood pressure biomarkers under clinical study conditions
3) Kapil V, Khambata RS, Robertson A, et al. Dietary nitrate provides sustained blood pressure lowering in hypertensive patients: a randomized, phase 2, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Hypertension. 2015.
PMID: 25421976
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.114.04675
Population: Adults with hypertension.
Design: Randomized, phase 2, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial evaluating daily dietary nitrate supplementation over 4 weeks.
Key findings:
• In adults with hypertension, 4 weeks of daily dietary nitrate supplementation was associated with reductions in clinic, home, and ambulatory blood pressure
• Twenty-four-hour ambulatory blood pressure was reduced by approximately 7.7/5.2 mmHg in the studied population
• Improvements in vascular function measures were also reported under study conditions
• Findings support dietary nitrate as a studied pathway related to vascular physiology and blood pressure biomarkers
4) Lara J, Ashor AW, Oggioni C, et al. Effects of inorganic nitrate and beetroot supplementation on endothelial function: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur J Nutr. 2016.
PMID: 25764393
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-015-0872-7
Population: Adults across studies evaluating inorganic nitrate or beetroot supplementation and endothelial function.
Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.
Key findings:
• Pooled analyses examined endothelial function after inorganic nitrate or beetroot supplementation
• Favorable effects on flow-mediated dilation and related vascular function measures were reported across selected studies
• Effects varied by study population, nitrate dose, intervention duration, and method of vascular assessment
• Findings support nitric oxide-related vascular pathways as a key research area for beetroot and dietary nitrate
Exercise and Performance Support
Evidence strength: Moderate.
Beetroot juice has been widely studied in exercise physiology because dietary nitrate may influence nitric oxide availability, oxygen efficiency, muscle contractile function, and performance under selected conditions.
5) Bailey SJ, Winyard P, Vanhatalo A, et al. Dietary nitrate supplementation reduces the O₂ cost of low-intensity exercise and enhances tolerance to high-intensity exercise in humans. J Appl Physiol. 2009.
PMID: 19661447
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.00722.2009
Population: Healthy adults.
Design: Placebo-controlled human study evaluating beetroot juice supplementation and exercise physiology.
Key findings:
• Beetroot juice supplementation reduced the oxygen cost of submaximal exercise in the studied adults
• Exercise tolerance during severe-intensity exercise increased under study conditions
• This study helped establish beetroot juice as a dietary nitrate intervention for exercise-efficiency research
• Findings were interpreted in relation to nitrate-mediated nitric oxide pathways
6) Lansley KE, Winyard PG, Fulford J, et al. Dietary nitrate supplementation reduces the O₂ cost of walking and running: a placebo-controlled study. J Appl Physiol. 2011.
PMID: 21071588
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.01070.2010
Population: Healthy adults.
Design: Placebo-controlled study evaluating nitrate-rich beetroot juice compared with nitrate-depleted beetroot juice.
Key findings:
• Nitrate-rich beetroot juice reduced the oxygen cost of walking and running compared with nitrate-depleted beetroot juice
• The oxygen cost of walking was reported to be approximately 12% lower under nitrate-rich beetroot juice conditions
• Nitrate-depleted beetroot juice did not reproduce the same physiological effects
• Findings supported nitrate content as a central factor in beetroot juice’s exercise-related effects
7) Lansley KE, Winyard PG, Bailey SJ, et al. Acute dietary nitrate supplementation improves cycling time trial performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2011.
PMID: 21471821
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e31821597b4
Population: Trained cyclists or physically active adults evaluated during cycling performance testing.
Design: Randomized crossover study evaluating acute nitrate-rich beetroot juice supplementation.
Key findings:
• Acute nitrate-rich beetroot juice supplementation improved 4-km cycling time-trial performance by approximately 2.8% compared with placebo
• Performance in a 16.1-km cycling time trial improved by approximately 2.7%
• Plasma nitrite increased after beetroot juice ingestion
• Mean power output increased during cycling trials while oxygen consumption was not proportionally increased, suggesting improved cycling economy under study conditions
8) Wylie LJ, Kelly J, Bailey SJ, et al. Beetroot juice and exercise: pharmacodynamic and dose-response relationships. J Appl Physiol. 2013.
PMID: 23640589
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.00372.2013
Population: Healthy adults evaluated across different beetroot juice nitrate doses.
Design: Dose-response study examining nitrate-rich beetroot juice, plasma nitrate/nitrite responses, and exercise performance.
Key findings:
• Beetroot juice produced dose-related increases in plasma nitrate and nitrite markers
• Compared with placebo, 140 mL and 280 mL beetroot juice reduced steady-state oxygen uptake during moderate-intensity exercise by approximately 1.7% and 3.0%, respectively
• Time-to-task failure was extended by approximately 14% and 12% with the 140 mL and 280 mL doses, respectively, under study conditions
• No additional improvement in exercise tolerance was observed with 16.8 mmol nitrate compared with 8.4 mmol nitrate
• Findings support the importance of quantified nitrate dose when evaluating beetroot products for clinical alignment
9) Domínguez R, Cuenca E, Maté-Muñoz JL, et al. Effects of Beetroot Juice Supplementation on Cardiorespiratory Endurance in Athletes. Nutrients. 2017.
PMID: 28067808
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/nu9010043
Population: Athletes across studies evaluating beetroot juice supplementation and endurance-related outcomes.
Design: Systematic review.
Key findings:
• Beetroot juice supplementation was associated with improved cardiorespiratory endurance outcomes in several included studies
• Reported effects included improved exercise efficiency, increased time to exhaustion, and performance changes across selected distances
• Findings were not uniform across all studies, athletes, or exercise protocols
• The review supports beetroot juice as a commonly studied nitrate-rich intervention in sports nutrition research
Other Support
Evidence strength: Low to Moderate.
Other areas of beetroot research include cerebral blood flow pathways, normal inflammatory response, oxidative balance, recovery from exercise-related muscle stress, and healthy aging. These areas are biologically plausible and supported by early human and mechanistic studies, but the evidence is less consistent than for blood pressure and exercise physiology.
10) Presley TD, Morgan AR, Bechtold E, et al. Acute effect of a high nitrate diet on brain perfusion in older adults. Nitric Oxide. 2011.
PMID: 20951824
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.niox.2010.10.002
Population: Older adults studied after a high-nitrate dietary intervention.
Design: Human study evaluating cerebral perfusion after nitrate-rich dietary intake.
Key findings:
• A high-nitrate diet did not significantly change global cerebral perfusion
• Increased regional cerebral perfusion was reported in frontal lobe white matter regions after the high-nitrate diet
• The reported perfusion changes involved areas between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex
• Findings support interest in dietary nitrate and healthy cognitive blood flow pathways, but the study was small and exploratory
11) Stanaway L, Rutherfurd-Markwick K, Page R, et al. Acute supplementation with nitrate-rich beetroot juice causes a greater increase in plasma nitrite and reduction in blood pressure of older compared to younger adults. Nutrients. 2019.
PMID: 31336633
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11071683
Population: Younger and older adults.
Design: Randomized crossover study evaluating acute nitrate-rich beetroot juice supplementation.
Key findings:
• Nitrate-rich beetroot juice increased plasma nitrate and nitrite markers under study conditions
• Blood pressure reductions were reported, with greater responses observed in older adults than younger adults
• Cognitive outcomes were evaluated, but findings were more consistent for vascular biomarkers than cognitive performance
• Results support continued research into aging-related vascular responsiveness to dietary nitrate
12) Clifford T, Bell O, West DJ, et al. The effects of beetroot juice supplementation on indices of muscle damage following eccentric exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2016.
PMID: 26537365
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-015-3290-x
Population: Adults undergoing eccentric exercise designed to induce muscle stress.
Design: Human intervention study evaluating beetroot juice supplementation and recovery-related markers.
Key findings:
• Beetroot juice supplementation attenuated muscle soreness after eccentric exercise under study conditions
• Decrements in countermovement-jump performance were also attenuated compared with placebo
• Some functional recovery measures improved, while biochemical markers of oxidative stress or muscle damage were mixed or unaffected
• Findings support beetroot’s investigation in exercise recovery, normal inflammatory response, and oxidative balance pathways, but evidence remains preliminary
Educational Notice
These summaries are provided for educational purposes to review published scientific literature and should not be interpreted as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment recommendations. Readers should consult qualified healthcare professionals for personal medical decisions.
FDA Disclaimer
These statements have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Dietary supplements are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
FTC Affiliate Disclosure
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