Beetroot juice, blood pressure, sports performance and possible risks
What it found
Beetroot juice may lower blood pressure and improve oxygen delivery to muscles during exercise.
It can also push nitrate intake above daily limits, which might raise cancer risk.
What they found
Studies in people
Blood pressure and circulation
After drinking beetroot juice, the body makes a gas that widens blood vessels. This lowers blood pressure and sends more oxygen and nutrients to organs.
Sports performance
Beetroot juice improves oxygen delivery to muscles, muscle efficiency and endurance. These changes may help athletic performance.
Cancer linked compounds
High nitrate intake encourages the body to form N-nitroso compounds. These compounds are known to cause cancer and may trigger other unwanted effects.
Other findings
Nitrate intake limits
Drinking beetroot juice can easily push nitrate intake above the acceptable daily limit.
Limited data on harms
Far fewer studies have looked at the negative effects of beetroot juice than at its benefits. The authors say more research is needed for a balanced view of the risks.
What the authors conclude
- They note that beetroot juice may help prevent and treat heart disease by lowering blood pressure and improving blood flow.
- They warn that drinking it can push nitrate intake past accepted daily limits, encouraging the body to make cancer-linked compounds.
- They call for more research on the negative effects so that benefits and risks can be weighed fairly.
How it was done
Athletes increasingly drink beetroot juice to boost performance, and the body turns its nitrates into a gas that widens blood vessels. The authors wanted to weigh these potential heart and exercise benefits against possible harms from high nitrate intake.
The authors gathered and reviewed published studies on beetroot juice. They looked at research covering both the benefits for the heart and exercise and the possible health risks. The abstract does not state how many studies were included or who took part.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This work gathers existing studies rather than running a new trial, so it cannot prove beetroot juice directly causes these effects.
- The amount of research on possible harms is limited, so scientists do not yet know the full picture of risks.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Maastricht University Medical Center, the Netherlands
The paper
- Title
- The benefits and risks of beetroot juice consumption: a systematic review
- Type
- Systematic review
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Zamani H, de Joode MEJR, Hossein IJ, et al (2021). The benefits and risks of beetroot juice consumption: a systematic review. Critical reviews in food science and nutrition. doi:10.1080/10408398.2020.1746629PubMed 32292042DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error