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Brt7.5
Beetroot Research
Likely helps
533 peer-reviewed studies
What the evidence says
Likely helps
Beetroot appears to help in 25 of 26 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 533 studies · 52 meta-analyses · 422 RCTs · 11,778 total participants
Confidence
High confidence
What the studies found
25helped1unclear· 507 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 helps152 studies
Muscle strength & power
Likely helps38 studies
Therapeutic & clinical
Mostly mechanism / observational37 studies
RecoveryEnhanced blood flow and nutrient delivery · Acute
Mostly mechanism / observational33 studies
Women's health
Mostly mechanism / observational21 studies
Energy & fatigueReduced oxygen cost of exercise · 2-3 hours
Mostly mechanism / observational18 studies
Glucose & metabolic
Mostly mechanism / observational17 studies
Cognitive function
Mostly mechanism / observational17 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 studies2 studies
By the numbers
Pulled from 60 studies with measurable effects
Likely real effects
57%
across studies
People studied
12k
typical study: 23 people
Strongest designs
474
52 pooled, 422 randomised
Showed benefit
96%
25/26 studies
How long studies ran
Under a week
2
1–4 weeks
2
1–3 months
4
3+ months
1
Populations Studied
General population4
Adults2
Female athletes2
Young adults2
Active research area
247 studies in the last 5 years · Latest meta-analysis: 2026
198620062026
1Athletic 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.
2Muscular enduranceMeta-Analysisn=1,486 · large study2024
In plain English: 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.
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).
5Muscle strength and massSystematic Reviewn=1,571 · large study2022
In plain English: 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.
6Clinical systolic blood pressure in hypertensive individualsMeta-Analysisn=349 · medium study2024
In plain English: 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.
9Swimming 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).
18Systolic blood pressure reductionMeta-Analysisn=650 · large study2017
In plain English: Our results demonstrate the blood pressure-lowering effects of beetroot juice and highlight its potential NO3-independent effects.
Bahadoran Z et al. · Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) (2017)
Noticeable benefit
← WorseNo effectBetter →
Overall, SBP (-3.55 mm Hg; 95% CI: -4.55, -2.54 mm Hg) and DBP (-1.32 mm Hg; 95% CI: -1.97, -0.68 mm Hg) were significantly lower in the beetroot juice-supplemented groups than in the control groups.
In contrast, a smaller effect size of blood pressures was observed after supplementation with higher NO3 (milligrams per 100 mL beetroot juice).
A weak effect size was observed in a meta-analysis of trials that used NO3-depleted beetroot juice as a placebo compared with other interventions (-3.09 compared with -4.51 mm Hg for SBP and -0.81 compared with -2.01 mm Hg for DBP).