Hohensinn B, Haselgrübler R, Müller U, Stadlbauer V, Lanzerstorfer P, Lirk G, et al. Sustaining elevated levels of nitrite in the oral cavity through consumption of nitrate-rich beetroot juice in young healthy adults reduces salivary pH. Nitric Oxide. 2016;60:10–5. Beals et al. have discussed the augmenting interference of concurrent dietary fiber-rich- beetroot juice and 25 g of glucose (75 g total carbohydrate load) among obese and non-obese individuals with glucose tolerance. Participants were supplemented with 500 mL beetroot solution (17 mmol nitrate and 25 g glucose) at baseline, glucose at time laps of 5, 45, 60 and 90 min, glucose solution and insulin at 10, 20,30 and 120 min. It was eventuated that the inhibition of nitrate reductase activity did not only reduce the desire of metabolic responses to beetroot juice combined with glucose but also promoted insulin resistance (푃 = 0.009) and concealed insulin sensitivity within obese individuals. Unlikely, the co-ingestion of glucose and beetroot juice led to a higher elevation of blood glucose concentration in obese than non-obese adults at 60 and 90 min (푃 = 0.004). It was, therefore, obtained that obese adults with a higher risk of developing insulin resistance, may benefit from nitrate-rich foods [ 57]. Shepherd AI, Wilkerson DP, Dobson L, Kelly J, Winyard PG, Jones AM, et al. The effect of dietary nitrate supplementation on the oxygen cost of cycling, walking performance and resting blood pressure in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a double blind placebo controlled, randomised control trial. Nitric Oxide. 2015;48:31–7. James PE, Willis GR, Allen JD, Winyard PG, Jones AM. Nitrate pharmacokinetics: taking note of the difference. Nitric Oxide. 2015;48:44–50.

Kemmner S, Lorenz G, Wobst J, Kessler T, Wen M, Günthner R, et al. Dietary nitrate load lowers blood pressure and renal resistive index in patients with chronic kidney disease: a pilot study. Nitric Oxide. 2017;64:7–15. Medical News Today has strict sourcing guidelines and draws only from peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We avoid using tertiary references. We link primary sources — including studies, scientific references, and statistics — within each article and also list them in the resources section at the bottom of our articles. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.Kukadia, S., et al. (2019). A double-blind placebo-controlled crossover study of the effect of beetroot juice containing dietary nitrate on aortic and brachial blood pressure over 24 h. Kapil V, Khambata RS, Robertson A, Caulfield MJ, Ahluwalia A. Dietary nitrate provides sustained blood pressure lowering in hypertensive patients: a randomized, phase 2, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Hypertension. 2015;65(2):320–7. Beeturia, urea discoloration or excretion of red/ pink urine following beetroot ingestion occurs due to the presence of un-metabolized betalain pigments in the urine and has been reported in 10–14% of Shepherd’s study population [ 17]. It is a strong, though benign effect that had been stated by most of the participants of previous studies as well. In other words, short term and long term treatment with beetroot juice were well tolerated by the subjects. This is a confirmation on a safe administrating strategy of beetroot through acute and chronic phases [ 18].

Even without knowing all the science ahead of time, I thought the placebo effect—the fact that I believed I was doing something good for my body—might be enough to fuel me to move a little faster on race day. And while that may be the case, beet juice does have a proven effect on performance, Holder, Jones, and Antonucci all assert. And the best part of all of this is that research hasn’t found any negative effects. “Well, your pee might be a funny color, but that’s about it,” Antonucci says. “You do a shot, maybe you get 20 to 30 seconds off your time or maybe you don’t; the only thing you’ve lost is the cost of the product.” But runners should try it in training first, Jones warns; “a small minority can suffer gut issues,” he says. (I actually didn’t take a shot the morning of the race because I didn’t want to mess with my stomach.) Agency CFI. The Biology of Beta vulgaris L. (Sugar Beet). Canadian Food Inspection Agency; Canada: Government of Canada; 2012 [cited 2018]. Available from: http://www.inspection.gc.ca/plants/plants-with-novel-traits/applicants/directive-94-08/biology-documents/beta-vulgaris-l-/eng/1330725373948/1330725437349. Chhikara N, Kushwaha K, Sharma P, Gat Y, Panghal A. Bioactive compounds of beetroot and utilization in food processing industry: a critical review. Food Chem. 2018;272:192-200. Clifford T, Howatson G, West D, Stevenson E. The potential benefits of red beetroot supplementation in health and disease. Nutrients. 2015;7(4):2801–22.The speed-boosting power of beet juice isn’t a new discovery; Holder says he’s been drinking it since his days as a college football player at the University of Pennsylvania; the University of Southern California’s basketball team had also credited it for their success on the court, and Auburn University’s football team members have also been devotees. Coles LT, Clifton PM. Effect of beetroot juice on lowering blood pressure in free-living, disease-free adults: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Nutr J. 2012;11:106. Sravan Kumar P, Bhaumik A, Chopra M, Devi KN. Evaluation of Anti diabetic activity of Ethanolic Extract of Beet Root (EEBT- Beta vulgaris) against Streptozocin induced diabetic Rats. J Drug Discov Ther. 2016;4(37):6. Hypotensive effect of beetroot seems to be highly influenced by physiological and medical status. Beetroot juice administration was found to exert a much stronger effect on blood pressure in hypertensive compared to normotensive subjects, which can be explained by the rate of erythrocyte xanthine oxidase expression (XOR - Erythrocytic Xanthine Oxidoreductase, an enzyme involved in reduction of NO 2 in active NO) in hypertensive states [ 40]. Vidal, P. J., et al. (2014). Inactivation of lipoxygenase and cyclooxygenase by natural betalains and semi-synthetic analogues [Abstract].

Jones-Carson J, Vazquez-Torres A, van der Heyde HC, Warner T, Wagner RD, Balish E. Gamma delta T cell-induced nitric oxide production enhances resistance to mucosal candidiasis. Nat Med. 1995;1(6):552–7.Beetroot juice may help improve exercise efficiency — in other words, it can reduce the energy required to exercise at a specific power output. This should translate into improved performance,” explains Andy Jones, professor of applied physiology at the University of Exeter. “It can also help you sustain higher levels of power for longer.” Kapil V, Haydar SM, Pearl V, Lundberg JO, Weitzberg E, Ahluwalia A. Physiological role for nitrate-reducing oral bacteria in blood pressure control. Free Radic Biol Med. 2013;55:93–100.

Beetroots are rich in OAs, similar to most plants, where these acids are used to cope with nutrient deficiencies, metal detoxification, and tolerance, and pathogens, as well as endophytic and symbiotic-microbe interactions operating at the root-soil interface [ 36]. Humans can also benefit from the ingestion of these compounds.

Rewards For Life

The potential interaction of NO 3- rich beetroot juice with phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors and consequent severe hypotension, is another consideration. Beneficial properties of beetroot can be profoundly affected by medications imposing undesirable interaction with metabolism and the ultimate metabolic pathways of NO 3/ NO 2; as such, the hypotensive effect of orally ingested NO 2 is proposed to be abolished by esomeprazole, a proton pump inhibitor [ 18]. dos Santos BD, Conte-Junior CA, Paschoalin VMF, Alvares TS. Quantitative and comparative contents of nitrate and nitrite in beta vulgaris L. by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence. Food Anal Methods. 2016;9(4):1002–8. Phosphoric acid and citric acid are predominant in beetroot juice, followed by oxalic acid and malic acid. Subsequently, shikimic acid, the precursor for the synthesis of aromatic amino acids such as phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan, and betalains, are detected in high concentrations in organic and conventional farming beets, while citric acid, malic acid, and fumaric acid are also observed, but at lower concentrations [ 39]. Malic acid is present at the highest concentrations in beetroot formulations, including juice, chips, powder, and cooked vegetables, followed by citric acid and ascorbic acid [ 18]. Cermak NM, Res P, Stinkens R, Lundberg JO, Gibala MJ, van Loon LJ. No improvement in endurance performance after a single dose of beetroot juice. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2012;22(6):470–8. Clifford, T. et al. (2015). The potential benefits of red beetroot supplementation in health and disease.