We use essential cookies (authentication, your saved goals/stack) by default. With your permission we’ll also enable privacy-respecting analytics (Vercel Web Analytics, anonymous load-time metrics) and error-replay diagnostics (Sentry — DOM snapshots only when an error fires) so we can fix bugs faster. Learn more about cookies
Brt7.5
Beetroot Research
Likely helps
545 peer-reviewed studies
What the evidence says
Likely helps
Beetroot appears to help in 27 of 29 studies with measurable effects — the evidence leans clearly favourable.
Most evidence is from high-quality meta-analyses and randomised trials published 1986–2026 with a typical study size of 32 participants.
Based on 545 studies · 69 meta-analyses · 413 RCTs · 15,177 total participants
Confidence
High confidence
What the studies found
27helped2unclear· 516 more without graded effect data
By outcome
Endurance & exercise performance3-5% improvement in time trial performance · 2-3 hours (acute) · Dietary nitrate improves VO2 economy and time-to-exhaustion · 1-7 days
Likely helps462 studies
Heart & blood pressureReduces systolic blood pressure by 4-5 mmHg via dietary nitrate · 2-4 weeks
Likely helps151 studies
Muscle strength & power
Likely helps44 studies
Therapeutic & clinical
Mostly mechanism / observational38 studies
RecoveryEnhanced blood flow and nutrient delivery · Acute
Mostly mechanism / observational34 studies
Women's health
Mostly mechanism / observational20 studies
Energy & fatigueReduced oxygen cost of exercise · 2-3 hours
Mostly mechanism / observational18 studies
Cognitive function
Mostly mechanism / observational16 studies
Glucose & metabolic
Mostly mechanism / observational15 studies
Lean body mass & muscle growth
Mostly mechanism / observational7 studies
Cholesterol & lipidsReduces systolic blood pressure by 4-5 mmHg via dietary nitrate · 2-4 weeks
Mostly mechanism / observational4 studies
Inflammation
Mostly mechanism / observational4 studies
Safety profile
Too few graded studies2 studies
By the numbers
Pulled from 71 studies with measurable effects
Likely real effects
56%
across studies
People studied
15k
typical study: 32 people
Strongest designs
482
69 pooled, 413 randomised
Showed benefit
90%
26/29 studies
How long studies ran
Under a week
2
1–4 weeks
2
1–3 months
4
3+ months
1
Populations Studied
General population7
Adults2
Athletes2
Female athletes2
Active research area
257 studies in the last 5 years · Latest meta-analysis: 2026
198620062026
1Exercise performanceMeta-AnalysisCited 15×n=2,000 · very large study2025
It improved time-to-exhaustion tasks [standardized mean difference (SMD): 0.33; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.19-0.47] with subgroup analyses indicating more pronounced improvements when a minimum dose of 6 mmoL/day (372 mg/day) and chronic (> 3 days) supplementation protocol was implemented.
Poon ET et al. · Sports Medicine (2025)
Twenty systematic reviews with meta-analyses, representing 180 primary studies and 2672 unique participants, met the inclusion criteria.
Ergogenic effects were observed for total distance covered, muscular endurance, peak power output, and time to peak power output.
The AMSTAR-2 ratings of most included reviews ranged from low to critically low.
2Physical performanceSystematic ReviewCited 2×n=1,500 · large study2025
professional athletes showed significant muscular strength benefits (SMD = 0.27, p = 0.007), whereas non-athletes had more pronounced aerobic endurance improvements (SMD = 0.26, p < 0.001), but the effect size was small.
Tian C et al. · Nutrients (2025)
Noticeable benefit
← WorseNo effectBetter →
Fifteen meta-analyses were included in this Umbrella Review.
Professional athletes showed significant muscular strength benefits (SMD = 0.27), whereas non-athletes had more pronounced aerobic endurance improvements (SMD = 0.26).
A dosage of 8.3-16.4 mmol NO3- (515-1017 mg) showed a significant improvement (SMD = 0.14, p = 0.029).
3COPD management outcomesMeta-AnalysisCited 2×n=894 · large study2025
This systematic review confirms that the efficacy of dietary polyphenols is significantly composition-specific.
Wu D et al. · Frontiers in immunology (2025)
This systematic review confirms that the efficacy of dietary polyphenols is significantly composition-specific.
Curcumin and salidroside can improve the course of COPD by regulating blood pressure, inflammation, and the coagulation pathway, supporting the hypothesis of "polyphenol targeting of metabolic-inflammatory networks".
However, the possible negative effects of anthocyanins warn against ingredient heterogeneity.
4Muscular enduranceMeta-AnalysisCited 8×n=1,486 · large study2024
BRS administration have a small ergogenic effect on muscular endurance and attenuate the decline in muscular strength in a fatigued state in healthy male individuals.
Evangelista JF et al. · Journal of the American Nutrition Association (2024)
Noticeable benefit
← WorseNo effectBetter →
Meta-analyses and subgroup analyses of standardized mean differences (SMD) were performed using a random-effects model.
BRS administration resulted in a positive effect on muscular endurance (SMD: 0.31; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.10 to 0.51; p < 0.01; n = 16 studies).
Of those, 27 studies attended eligibility criteria and composed this systematic review.
5Athletic performance in elite soccer playersSystematic ReviewCited 29×n=1,043 · large study2023
Still, more well-designed research with elite soccer players is needed to improve support and advice regarding the use of dietary supplements for athletic performance enhancement.
Abreu R et al. · Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (2023)
Nitrate-rich beetroot concentrate can attenuate performance decrease in the days following matches.
Further investigation with sodium bicarbonate alone is necessary, as supplementation protocols with elite players included other substances.
Finally, the available data does not support yohimbine supplementation or the use of Resurgex Plus® to improve athletic performance in elite soccer players.
6Exercise performance with nitrate ingestionMeta-AnalysisCited 45×n=1,705 · large study2022
To assess the variation in effect size, we used meta-regression models for continuous variables and subgroup analysis for categorical variables.
Silva KVC et al. · Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) (2022)
Noticeable benefit
← WorseNo effectBetter →
Likely real
To assess the variation in effect size, we used meta-regression models for continuous variables and subgroup analysis for categorical variables.
An inverse dose-response relation between the fraction of inspired oxygen and the effect size (coefficient: -0.045, 95% CI: -0.085, -0.005, P = 0.028) suggests that nitrate was more effective in increasingly hypoxic conditions.
The most effective acute dose was between 5 and 14.9 mmol provided ≥150 min prior to exercise (P <0.001).
7Muscle strength and massSystematic ReviewCited 9×n=1,571 · large study2022
This SUP regime seems to improve muscle efficiency in terms of reduced phosphocreatine and energy costs (P-magnetic resonance spectroscopy) and improved time to exhaustion.
Anderson OK et al. · Journal of strength and conditioning research (2022)
Of the 12 studies, 6 observed an ergogenic effect of SUP compared with placebo.
These findings indicate that muscle strength gains are possible provided the dose, format, frequency, period, and exercise test are appropriate.
Best results were observed with a minimum acute dose of 400 mg of nitrate provided as beetroot juice/shot taken 2-2.5 hours before exercise involving low- and high-intensity muscle contractions.
9Clinical systolic blood pressure in hypertensive individualsMeta-AnalysisCited 8×n=349 · medium study2024
Daily ingestion of 200-800 mg of nitrate from BRJ may reduce clinical systolic BP in hypertensive individuals with no sign of development of tolerance.
Grönroos R et al. · Nutrition, metabolism, and cardiovascular diseases : NMCD (2024)
Daily ingestion of 200-800 mg of nitrate from BRJ may reduce clinical systolic BP in hypertensive individuals with no sign of development of tolerance.
Certainty of evidence is low, and results should be interpreted with caution.