Beetroot and blackcurrant compounds for metabolic syndrome risk factors
What it found
Beetroot and blackcurrant compounds may improve blood sugar control, blood pressure and cholesterol, but most evidence comes from short-term human trials and animal studies.
The authors say more long-term human research is needed.
What they found
Studies in people
Blood sugar control
In people, beetroot juice and blackcurrant extracts lowered early blood sugar rises after meals in some short trials. One 8-day blackcurrant study in overweight adults improved insulin sensitivity by 22% and reduced post-meal glucose by 8 to 9%.
Blood pressure
Most human trials found beetroot juice lowered blood pressure after single doses or 1 to 8 weeks of use. A 7-day blackcurrant extract study in older adults lowered systolic and diastolic blood pressure by 6 mmHg each.
Studies in people and animals
Cholesterol and fats
In people, beetroot juice and blackcurrant puree improved some blood fat measures in short studies. In rats, beetroot extract and blackcurrant extract lowered triglycerides and LDL cholesterol and raised HDL cholesterol.
Other findings
How they might work
Beetroot nitrate is converted to nitric oxide, which widens blood vessels and may help blood sugar uptake. Betalains and blackcurrant anthocyanins may also act through antioxidant and other pathways, but these are not fully known.
Dosing and processing
Studies used a wide range of amounts, from 68.2 mg to 990 mg nitrate for beetroot and 210 mg to 1200 mg anthocyanins for blackcurrant. Processing can reduce betalains and anthocyanins, so trial products may differ from shop-bought ones.
What the authors conclude
“The current evidence demonstrates that beetroot and blackcurrant positively affects management of several MetS risk factors, including dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia and hypertension.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say the current evidence shows beetroot and blackcurrant can help manage several metabolic syndrome risk factors, including high blood sugar, high blood pressure and unhealthy cholesterol levels.
- They call for more long-term human trials to confirm these effects and to find the right doses.
- They advise that future studies should report both nitrate and betalain content and use commercially available products.
How it was done
Metabolic syndrome raises the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. The authors wanted to see whether beetroot and blackcurrant compounds could improve risk factors for these conditions.
They reviewed studies of beetroot and blackcurrant compounds in people and animals. Human trials ranged from single doses to 8 weeks, and animal studies lasted up to 8 weeks.
What it can’t tell you
- Many findings come from short-term human trials or animal studies, so the long-term effects in people are not known.
- The studies used different doses and products, so it is hard to compare results or say what dose works best.
- The exact ways beetroot and blackcurrant compounds work in the body are not yet clear.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- Hurst has dual associations with commercial organizations that may benefit financially from the sale of products made from New Zealand blackcurrants: as Principal Scientist for the New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited: and as Chief Science Advisor for 2before Performance Nutrition Limited. These associations did not influence the representation or interpretation of reported data and research findings.
- Authors work at
- Massey University, New Zealand; The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Ltd., New Zealand
The paper
- Title
- Potential of Beetroot and Blackcurrant Compounds to Improve Metabolic Syndrome Risk Factors
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Haswell C, Ali A, Page R, Hurst R, Rutherfurd-Markwick K (2021). Potential of Beetroot and Blackcurrant Compounds to Improve Metabolic Syndrome Risk Factors. Metabolites. doi:10.3390/metabo11060338Free full textPubMed 34070362DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error