Herb library · Herb · Beta vulgaris
Beet root (powder)
The red root vegetable, dried and ground into a powder sold for smoothies and as a sports supplement. Beets are rich in nitrate, which the body uses to make nitric oxide. Trials of beetroot juice show a small drop in systolic blood pressure in people with high blood pressure and a small gain in short, hard exercise; powders vary in how much nitrate they carry.
Traditional use
Beets are an everyday vegetable, eaten roasted, pickled and in soups such as borscht. Beetroot juice and powder are sold to athletes and to people watching their blood pressure as a source of dietary nitrate.
What studies show
- Limited
Blood pressure: a 2022 review of 7 randomized trials (218 adults with high blood pressure) found that nitrate-rich beetroot juice, 70 to 250 mL a day for 3 to 60 days, lowered systolic (top-number) blood pressure by about 5 mmHg but did not clearly change diastolic pressure. The authors rated the evidence moderate.
- Limited
Exercise: a 2022 review of 123 trials (1,705 healthy adults) found a small, consistent improvement in exercise performance from nitrate taken as beetroot juice or nitrate-rich vegetables, largest for efforts of 2 to 10 minutes and with the dose taken at least 2.5 hours before. Using antibacterial mouthwash weakened the effect.
- Limited· shows no benefit
Blood vessels after a fatty meal: in a small crossover trial of 18 men with abdominal obesity, beetroot powder (200 mg nitrate) with or without L-arginine did not measurably change blood-vessel function after a high-fat meal.
Be careful of
Cautions
- AmountMost of the trials used juice with a known nitrate content. The nitrate in a powder depends on how it was grown and made, so a spoonful of powder may not match the doses studied.
- InteractionIf you take medicine for blood pressure, beet products may add to its effect. Watch for dizziness and tell your clinician.
- NoteA review of the exercise trials found that practices that kill mouth bacteria, such as antibacterial mouthwash, reduced the effect of nitrate.
- Ask a clinicianTalk with a clinician or pharmacist before using this if you take prescription medicines, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are giving it to a child.
Sources
- Nitrate Derived From Beetroot Juice Lowers Blood Pressure in Patients With Arterial Hypertension: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (Front Nutr, 2022) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
- Factors that Moderate the Effect of Nitrate Ingestion on Exercise Performance in Adults: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analyses and Meta-Regressions (Adv Nutr, 2022) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
- Effects of Beetroot Powder with or without L-Arginine on Postprandial Vascular Endothelial Function: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial with Abdominally Obese Men (Nutrients, 2020) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
Reviewed September 25, 2026.