Scientists from Queen Mary University of London have found that drinking beetroot juice every day may help lower high blood pressure.
Beetroot is the taproot portion of the beet plant. In North America, it is commonly called “beets,” while in British English the vegetable is referred to as “beetroot.”
It is also known as the table beet, garden beet, red beet, dinner beet, or golden beet.
Beets are rich in folate (vitamin B9), a nutrient that supports cell growth and normal function. Folate also plays an important role in protecting blood vessels from damage, which may help reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.
In addition, beets are naturally high in dietary nitrates. In the body, nitrates are converted into nitric oxide, a molecule that is essential for many aspects of cardiovascular health.
One of nitric oxide’s most important roles is vasodilation, meaning it relaxes the muscles inside blood vessel walls, allowing the vessels to widen and improve blood flow.
Previous studies have shown that a single dose of dietary nitrate can quickly reduce blood pressure in healthy individuals, largely because nitric oxide helps blood vessels relax. However, whether nitrate-rich foods such as beetroot can provide sustained blood pressure benefits in people with hypertension has been less clear.
In the current study, researchers investigated whether regular dietary nitrate intake could lead to lasting reductions in blood pressure among patients with high blood pressure. They studied 68 adults aged 18 to 85 years who had hypertension. Over a four-week period, participants drank either 250 milliliters of beetroot juice daily or the same amount of nitrate-free beetroot juice.
The researchers found that daily consumption of beetroot juice was associated with significant reductions in blood pressure measured using three different methods. Average clinic blood pressure fell by 7.7/2.4 mm Hg. Twenty-four-hour ambulatory blood pressure decreased by 7.7/5.2 mm Hg, while home blood pressure readings dropped by 8.1/3.8 mm Hg.
Twenty-four-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) tracks blood pressure continuously over an entire day and night. The device typically records readings every 15 minutes during the day and every 30 minutes at night. These measurements are considered more reliable than a single clinic reading because they reflect blood pressure changes throughout daily activities and sleep.
Beyond blood pressure, the team also observed improvements in blood vessel health. Blood vessel function improved by about 20 percent, and arterial stiffness was reduced after participants consumed beetroot juice. Importantly, no adverse effects were reported in the beetroot juice group during the study.
Overall, the findings provide evidence that dietary nitrate supplementation can produce durable reductions in blood pressure in people with hypertension. The results suggest that beetroot juice, an affordable and widely available food, could play a supportive role in managing high blood pressure.
The research was published in Hypertension and was led by Vikas Kapil and colleagues.
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