Beet root can give you a small boost in some exercise measures, and it lowered blood pressure in one small trial, but it has not been shown to treat or prevent any disease. It is the edible root of the beet plant, eaten whole or taken as juice, powder or extract, and it is rich in dietary nitrate. Most of the research is short, small or low in certainty.
Quick facts
| Item | What the studies and health pages show |
|---|---|
| Forms | Whole root (raw, roasted, steamed, pickled), juice, powder, and beetroot-extract capsules. Most trials used juice. |
| Doses used in studies | 250 ml of juice a day in a blood pressure trial and in a cognition study. A review of exercise trials looked at 8.3 to 16.4 mmol of nitrate (515 to 1,017 mg) a day. |
| Typical study length | From a single serving 2 to 3 hours before exercise, to 3 or more days, 14 days, or 4 weeks. |
| Main studied uses | Exercise performance, blood pressure, oxidative stress markers, thinking skills in older adults, inflammation. |
| Strength of evidence | Effects on exercise are small or negligible. Blood pressure rests on one small trial. Cognition and inflammation are preliminary. |
What does the human evidence show?
Exercise performance
This is the most studied use, and the gains are small. A 2025 umbrella review pooled 15 meta-analyses of beetroot juice. It found negligible gains in muscle strength (SMD 0.08) and VO2max in healthy adults (SMD 0.16). It found small gains in time to exhaustion (SMD 0.25) and in a repeated-sprint endurance test (SMD 0.27). The reviewers found strength gains in professional athletes (SMD 0.27) and endurance gains in non-athletes (SMD 0.26). They described both as small.
A 2026 meta-analysis of sprint trials pooled 23 randomized trials with 401 healthy adults aged 18 to 40. Juice shortened the time to reach peak power in four cycling-sprint studies and slightly improved handgrip strength. It made no significant difference to jump height, peak or mean power, 10 m or 20 m sprints, perceived exertion, heart rate or blood lactate. Certainty was low for most results and very low for 20 m sprints and lactate. The authors concluded that the findings do not support routine use for short or repeated sprints. Data on women were limited.
A 2025 systematic review on healthy aging described strong potential as a performance aid, with mixed results in elite athletes. A 2023 review of six studies that combined juice with other supplements found the benefit depended mainly on how long the intervention lasted. Cleveland Clinic says juice may help endurance activities like running and cycling. For how pooled studies like these are built and graded, see our guide to meta-analyses and systematic reviews.
Blood pressure
The blood pressure case rests on one small trial, reported by The Best of Health in 2018. It was a double-blind phase two trial from Queen Mary University of London, funded by the British Heart Foundation and published in the journal Hypertension. It enrolled 64 adults aged 18 to 85 with high blood pressure. Half were taking blood pressure medicine but were not reaching their target, and half were untreated.
- For four weeks, people drank 250 ml of beetroot juice a day or 250 ml of nitrate-free beetroot juice. Blood pressure was also followed for two weeks before and after, eight weeks in all.
- Average blood pressure fell by about 8/4 mmHg in the beetroot group. Blood vessel dilation improved by about 20% and arterial stiffness fell by about 10%.
- The placebo group had no changes.
- No adverse side effects were reported.
- Within two weeks of stopping, blood pressure in the beetroot group returned to its previous high levels.
The researchers noted that a single blood pressure drug lowers pressure by about 9/5 mmHg on average, and said the results suggested a similar size of effect. The trial did not compare juice with a drug, though. It was small and short, and the British Heart Foundation’s research advisor said the next step is a much larger and longer trial. Half of the participants were still taking their prescribed medicine, so juice is not a stand-in for a prescription.
Cleveland Clinic says regularly drinking beet juice may help lower blood pressure. Harvard Health, in a 2015 article, says a daily cup may lower it. A hospital founder quoted by The Indian Express says beetroot powder has one of the stronger evidence bases among blood pressure supplements. He also says none should replace established treatment. A blood pressure reading is a stand-in for heart and stroke outcomes, not the outcome itself. Our guide to surrogate outcomes explains why that matters.
Oxidative stress markers
A 2026 meta-analysis pooled 7 studies with 360 untrained adults. Juice lowered markers of oxidative damage (SMD -0.42) and raised total antioxidant capacity (SMD 0.82). Results for antioxidant capacity varied widely between studies (I2 81%). The authors rated bias as low and certainty as high, and called for standard doses, durations and product quality. These are laboratory markers, so a better number does not mean you will have fewer illnesses.
Thinking skills in older adults
The 2025 healthy-aging review calls the evidence on thinking skills limited and inconsistent. An Express article describes a preliminary study in which older adults with type 2 diabetes drank 250 mL of juice for 14 days. They improved on simple reaction time compared with controls. There were no effects on decision-making, rapid processing, shape or spatial memory tests.
Inflammation
This is the earliest-stage area. The Express article, summarizing a review, describes the anti-inflammatory research as preliminary, with a limited number of studies in living organisms. It cites one study in which beetroot-extract capsules rich in betalains (the red pigments) eased inflammation and pain in people with osteoarthritis. The size of that study was not given. Cleveland Clinic says scientists are still studying how these plant compounds affect long-term health.
Which disease is beetroot good for?
None, as far as studies have shown. Studies measure blood pressure, exercise results and lab markers, not whether people avoid heart attacks, strokes or dementia. A food can be nutritious without being a treatment. Beets give you fiber, potassium, iron, magnesium, folate and vitamin C. Half a cup of cooked beets has about 37 calories, 1.7 g of fiber and 1.43 g of protein, according to Cleveland Clinic.
Doses researchers used
These are the amounts used in studies, not recommendations.
| Study | What was given | Timing or length |
|---|---|---|
| Exercise umbrella review | 8.3 to 16.4 mmol nitrate (515 to 1,017 mg) a day showed a significant but negligible effect (SMD 0.14) | 2 to 3 hours before exercise, or 3 or more days. Acute effect SMD 0.20, chronic 0.13. |
| Blood pressure trial | 250 ml juice a day | 4 weeks |
| Cognition study | 250 mL juice | 14 days |
The umbrella review’s authors recommend the nitrate range and timing above for performance, though their own results show the effects at that range are small. A physician quoted by The Indian Express says benefits depend on a product’s nitrate content, not on the amount of beetroot powder.
Is there a downside to beetroot, and what is safe?
For most people, beets are fine. Cleveland Clinic says they are a healthy addition and there is usually no reason to avoid them. It lists a few things to know:
| Issue | What the official health pages say |
|---|---|
| Pink or red urine or stool (beeturia) | Harmless, temporary, and typically nothing to worry about. |
| Oxalates and kidney stones | Beets contain oxalates, which can help certain kidney stones form. If you have had them, your provider may advise fewer high-oxalate foods. |
| Low blood pressure or blood pressure medicine | Talk to your provider before drinking large amounts of beet juice. |
| Canned beets | Look for little or no added sodium. |
What happens if I take beetroot every day?
You do not have to eat it daily to benefit. Cleveland Clinic’s dietitian says eating beets regularly as part of a balanced meal is enough. The blood pressure trial gave juice daily for four weeks with no adverse effects reported, and the blood pressure effect faded within two weeks of stopping. That trial ran four weeks, so if you plan to drink juice daily for months, mention it to your clinician.
Why do I feel weird after drinking beetroot juice?
The most common reaction is pink or red urine or stool, which is harmless. Blood pressure is the other thing to watch. If you take blood pressure medicine or already run low, raise large amounts of juice with your provider first. If you get symptoms you cannot explain, or they persist, check with a clinician.
What happens 3 hours after eating beets?
Exercise studies gave a serving 2 to 3 hours before exercise, because that is when the nitrate effect on performance was tested. The blood pressure trial looked at daily use over weeks and did not report hour-by-hour effects. Beeturia can appear after eating beets, and it is temporary.
Which medicines does beetroot interact with?
Blood pressure medicines are the main concern. Cleveland Clinic advises talking to your provider if you take medicine to lower blood pressure before drinking large amounts of juice. A physician quoted by The Indian Express says beetroot products may interact with blood pressure medicines and lower pressure too much in some people. That article also gives general advice to speak to a doctor before any supplement if you take medicines for blood pressure, diabetes, kidney disease or blood thinning. It says some supplements can lower blood pressure enough that medication may need adjusting, and that supplements should never replace prescribed treatment. Do not change or stop a medicine on your own. Ask the clinician who prescribed it.
Who should talk to a clinician first?
- People with low blood pressure, or who take any blood pressure medicine.
- People who have had kidney stones, or who have kidney disease.
- People who take medicines for diabetes or blood thinning, or any other prescription.
- Anyone thinking of using juice, powder or extract instead of a prescribed treatment.
Do cardiologists recommend beets?
Doctors quoted by The Indian Express call beetroot one of the better-supported options for blood pressure. They say it gives modest benefits in specific situations and should sit alongside lifestyle changes and prescribed medicine, not replace them. Cleveland Clinic’s dietitian describes beets as a healthy food to eat regularly. If you have heart disease or high blood pressure, ask your own clinician whether and how much beet juice fits your plan.
What is still unknown?
- Whether the blood pressure drop holds in a larger, longer trial, as the British Heart Foundation advisor called for.
- Whether any blood pressure or marker changes lead to fewer heart attacks, strokes or other illnesses.
- The best dose, duration and product quality, which the oxidative stress review’s authors say still need standardizing.
- Effects in women, and in elite athletes, where data are limited or mixed.
- Whether cognitive and anti-inflammatory effects are real, since studies are preliminary.
Our guide to surrogate outcomes explains how to weigh lab and blood pressure results that stand in for patient outcomes.
How do I read a label that lists beet root?
- Check the form. Whole root, juice, powder and betalain-rich extract are different products. Most trial results are for juice, and the osteoarthritis capsule study used extract.
- Look for nitrate, not just beet weight. A physician quoted by The Indian Express says benefits depend on the product’s nitrate content rather than the amount of beetroot powder. Trials report nitrate in mmol or mg. A label that gives only the weight of beet powder does not let you compare it with those studies. Ask the maker for the nitrate amount.
- Watch for proprietary blends. If beet root is listed inside a blend with only a total weight, you cannot tell how much beet is in it.
- Compare to study doses. Compare what the label gives per serving to the amounts in the table above, but treat those as study amounts, not targets.
- Check sodium on canned beets. Cleveland Clinic advises little or no added sodium.
Before you order or start
- Ask a clinician if you take blood pressure medicine or have low blood pressure, kidney stones or kidney disease.
- Ask the maker for the nitrate amount per serving and the form used.
- Check whether any effect claimed on the label comes from a study of the same form and amount.
By ClinicalStudyConnect.com Research Desk