Beetroot—a common cellar vegetable that lowers blood pressure and boosts energy?

Aim of the study: It has been suggested that nitrate-rich beetroot juice (BRJ) reduces blood pressure (BP) in various populations. We aimed to investigate the effect of BRJ on BP in adults with hypertension according to the European Society of Hypertension Guidelines (clinical BP ≥ 140/≥ 90 mmHg) and whether BRJ can be considered as an adjunct to hypertension drug treatment, by conducting a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Results: Daily intake of 200-800 mg of nitrate from BRJ may reduce clinical systolic BP in people with hypertension, with no sign of tolerance developing. The certainty of the evidence is low, and the results should be interpreted with caution.

Aim of the study: Beetroot juice (BJ), a natural source of dietary nitrate, has been widely studied for its potential performance-enhancing effects; however, evidence combining both aerobic and anaerobic performance outcomes remains limited. This meta-analysis evaluated the effects of BJ supplementation on maximal oxygen uptake (VO₂max), high-intensity interval sprint (HIS) performance, and mean power output (MPO).

Results: Thirty-three studies were included in the review. BJ supplementation significantly improved HIS (SMD = 0.38, 95% CI 0.17 to 0.59, p < 0.001), MPO (SMD = 0.43, 95% CI 0.21 to 0.64, p < 0.001), and VO₂max (SMD = 0.30, 95% CI 0.05 to 0.55, p < 0.001). Heterogeneity was low across all outcomes (HIS: I 2 = 11.0%, p = 0.343; MPO: I 2 = 0.0%, p = 0.824; VO₂max: I 2 = 0.0%, p = 0.970). In addition, although tests for subgroup differences did not show statistically significant differences, the data suggest that athlete status, sport type, supplementation strategy, juice brand, and timing of intake may be potential effect modifiers. These findings should be considered hypothesis-generating and require confirmation in future studies. As a natural performance aid, beetroot juice effectively improves both aerobic and anaerobic exercise performance and can be recommended.

Aim of the study: Background: Beetroot juice, the most commonly used route of dietary nitrate supplementation, is thought to enhance physical performance. However, its effects on different aspects of physical performance, different populations, and optimal supplementation strategies remain controversial.

Results: A dosage of 8.3-16.4 mmol NO3- (515-1017 mg) showed a significant improvement (SMD = 0.14, p = 0.029), although the effect size was negligible. Conclusions: Acute (2-3 h before exercise) and chronic (≥3 days) beetroot juice supplementation to achieve nitrate levels of 8.3-16.4 mmol (515-1017 mg/d) is recommended to enhance physical performance. Beetroot juice has population-specific effects: appropriate supplementation improves muscular strength in professional athletes and aerobic endurance in non-athletes. In addition, appropriate supplementation with beetroot juice can improve lactate tolerance in healthy adults.

Aim of the study: Beetroot juice (BRJ) has become increasingly popular among athletes aiming to improve their sports performance. BRJ contains high concentrations of nitrate, which can be converted into nitric oxide (NO) after consumption.

Results: Furthermore, BRJ consumption also affects oxygen delivery to skeletal muscles, muscle efficiency, tolerance, and endurance, and may therefore positively affect sports performance. In addition to its potential benefits, BRJ consumption may also pose health risks. Drinking BRJ may easily increase nitrate intake above the acceptable daily intake, which is known to stimulate the body’s production of N-nitroso compounds (NOCs), a class of compounds known to be carcinogenic and that may also cause several other adverse effects. Compared with studies on the benefits, the amount of data and literature on the negative effects of BRJ is rather limited and should be increased to allow a balanced risk assessment.

Aim of the study: Nitrate supplementation has been shown to enhance endurance exercise performance. Recent work suggests that nitrate intake can also improve intermittent exercise performance in recreational athletes.

Results: Six days of BR intake increased plasma and salivary nitrate and nitrite concentrations compared with PLA (p < 0.001) and improved Yo-Yo IR1 test performance by 3.4 ± 1.3% (from 1574 ± 47 to 1623 ± 48 m; p = 0.027). Mean HR was lower in the BR (172 ± 2) than in the PLA trial (175 ± 2; p = 0.014). Six days of BR intake effectively improves high-intensity intermittent exercise performance in trained soccer players.

Aim of the study: To determine whether a 36-session exercise rehabilitation program combined with oral inorganic nitrate (4.2 mmol of concentrated beetroot juice) would produce greater benefits than exercise plus placebo for pain-free walking and markers of increased skeletal muscle perfusion in patients with PAD and intermittent claudication.

Results: This was a randomized, double-blind, per-protocol study. After the 12-week protocol, claudication onset time on a maximal treadmill test increased by 59.2±57.3 s in the exercise-plus-placebo group (n=13) and by 180.3±46.6 s in the exercise-plus-beetroot-juice group (n=11; P≤0.05). This produced a medium-to-large standardized effect size between treatments (Cohen d) of 0.62 (95% CI, -0.23 to +1.44). The six-minute walk distance showed a similar pattern, increasing by 24.6±12.1 and 53.3±19.6 m (P≤0.05) in the exercise-plus-placebo and exercise-plus-beetroot-juice groups, respectively. Measures of gastrocnemius perfusion—including ankle-brachial index, peak reactive hyperemic blood flow, and tissue deoxygenation characteristics during exercise (assessed by near-infrared spectroscopy)—all changed significantly in the exercise-plus-beetroot-juice group, with moderate-to-large effect sizes compared with changes in the exercise-plus-placebo group.

Aim of the study: Athletes use nutritional supplements to enhance the effects of training and improve their athletic performance. Beetroot juice increases nitric oxide (NO) levels, which serves multiple functions related to increased blood flow, gas exchange, mitochondrial biogenesis and efficiency, and stronger muscle contraction.

Results: After excluding reviews/meta-analyses, animal studies, articles without accessible full text, and studies that did not use beetroot juice supplementation and adequately assess cardiorespiratory endurance, 23 articles were selected for analysis. The available results suggest that beetroot juice supplementation can improve cardiorespiratory endurance in athletes by increasing efficiency, which improves performance over various distances, increases time to exhaustion at submaximal intensities, and may improve cardiorespiratory performance at anaerobic threshold intensities and maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max). Although the literature contains contradictory data, findings from other studies lead us to hypothesize that beetroot juice supplementation could mitigate the negative effects of hypoxia on athletes’ cardiorespiratory endurance.

Aim of the study: Background/Objectives: This study addresses growing interest in nutritional supplements that improve athletic performance in endurance sports. Previous research suggests that nitrates in beetroot juice enhance blood vessel dilation and oxygen delivery to muscles.

Results: Maximal oxygen consumption (VO2 max) increased by 4.82% in the beetroot juice group (from 35.24 ± 5.07 to 36.94 ± 4.91 mL·min-1·kg-1), whereas a small decrease was observed in the placebo group. Conclusions: These findings indicate that beetroot juice may be an effective performance aid, enhancing oxygen use and energy production during exercise in female athletes. In practical terms, beetroot juice could contribute to improved athletic performance and be a valuable addition to athletes’ nutrition plans. Future studies should explore the long-term effects, optimal dosages, and duration of supplementation in larger and more diverse populations.

Aim of the study: Beetroot juice (BJ) and caffeine (CAF) are well-established performance aids for exercise. However, little is known about their effectiveness and interaction on a judo competition day specifically.

Results: Importantly, in trial 5, both the BJ and BJCAF conditions improved SJFT performance, neuromuscular function, and cognitive outcomes compared with CAF alone (p < 0.05). The results show that the performance-enhancing effect of CAF was not maintained throughout the simulated competition day, whereas BJ provided benefits in the later stages. Taking them together effectively counteracted the decline in later sessions seen with CAF alone while maintaining its early benefits. This highlights the importance of considering timing and metabolic costs when designing nutritional strategies for multi-bout, high-intensity sports tournaments such as judo.

Aim of the study: Beetroot juice (BRJ) has been proposed as a nutritional aid for recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD), but evidence in female team-sport athletes is limited. It also remains unclear whether any benefit extends to functional, pain-related, swelling, and strength outcomes.

Results: CMJ height was the clearest functional finding related to BRJ. The treatment × time interaction showed a trend toward statistical significance (P = 0.062), and CMJ height was higher with BRJ than PLA at 72 h after EIMD (P = 0.033, d = 1.01). Calf pressure pain threshold also favored BRJ at 72 h, alongside a significant treatment × time interaction (P < 0.001). In contrast, agility time and soreness changed over time without clear differences between conditions, while thigh pressure pain threshold, thigh circumference, and low-velocity knee isokinetic outcomes showed no consistent advantage related to BRJ. Short-term BRJ supplementation was associated with selective rather than general recovery benefits after EIMD in trained female volleyball players. The clearest findings were higher CMJ height and calf PPT with BRJ than PLA at 72 h, while the remaining outcomes showed no consistent treatment-related differences.