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Brt7.5
Beetroot Research
Likely helps
534 peer-reviewed studies
What the evidence says
Likely helps
Beetroot appears to help in 18 of 19 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 23 participants.
Based on 534 studies · 52 meta-analyses · 423 RCTs · 7,763 total participants
Confidence
High confidence
What the studies found
18helped1unclear· 515 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 helps454 studies
Heart & blood pressureReduces systolic blood pressure by 4-5 mmHg via dietary nitrate · 2-4 weeks
Likely helps151 studies
Muscle strength & power
Likely helps39 studies
Therapeutic & clinical
Mostly mechanism / observational37 studies
RecoveryEnhanced blood flow and nutrient delivery · Acute
Mostly mechanism / observational32 studies
Women's health
Mostly mechanism / observational21 studies
Glucose & metabolic
Mostly mechanism / observational17 studies
Cognitive function
Mostly mechanism / observational17 studies
Energy & fatigueReduced oxygen cost of exercise · 2-3 hours
Mostly mechanism / observational15 studies
Lean body mass & muscle growth
Mostly mechanism / observational6 studies
Inflammation
Mostly mechanism / observational4 studies
Cholesterol & lipidsReduces systolic blood pressure by 4-5 mmHg via dietary nitrate · 2-4 weeks
Mostly mechanism / observational3 studies
Safety profile
Too few graded studies1 study
By the numbers
Pulled from 51 studies with measurable effects
Likely real effects
68%
across studies
People studied
7,763
typical study: 23 people
Strongest designs
475
52 pooled, 423 randomised
Showed benefit
95%
18/19 studies
How long studies ran
Under a week
2
1–4 weeks
1
1–3 months
4
3+ months
1
Populations Studied
General population2
Adults2
Elite soccer players1
COPD patients1
Active research area
248 studies in the last 5 years · Latest meta-analysis: 2026
198620062026
1Exercise performanceMeta-Analysisn=2,000 · very large study2025
In plain English: 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.
2Athletic performance in elite soccer playersSystematic Reviewn=1,043 · large study2023
In plain English: 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.
3COPD management outcomesMeta-Analysisn=894 · large study2025
In plain English: 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.
4Exercise performance with nitrate ingestionMeta-Analysisn=1,705 · large study2022
In plain English: 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).
6Swimming performanceMeta-Analysisn=23 · very small study2025
In plain English: Creatine supplementation demonstrated ergogenic benefits for competitive swimmers, although the evidence supporting the use of this supplement is still limited.
Domínguez R et al. · Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (2025)
Noticeable benefit
← WorseNo effectBetter →
Likely real
This revision included 23 studies, 16 of them (69.6%) qualified as excellent and 7 (30.4%) as good at the methodological level based on the punctuation in the PEDro scale.
The systematic review included 422 swimmers (61.8% male, 38.2% female), with distances assessed ranging from 50 m to 800 m, including studies employing interval procedures.
Creatine showed a significant effect (ES = -0.46; 95% CIs = -0.75 to -0.17, p = 0.002; I2 = 11%) on swimming performance, while the rest of the analyzed supplements did not show significant effects (all p > 0.05).