Beetroot juice and COPD: exercise, blood pressure, blood vessels, sleep
What it found
In people with COPD, beetroot juice raised blood nitrate and nitrite levels and showed some benefits for exercise capacity, blood pressure, blood vessel function and sleep, but results varied between studies.
What they found
Studies in people
Blood nitrate levels
Many studies in people with COPD found that drinking beetroot juice rich in nitrates raised blood nitrate and nitrite levels compared with a placebo. One analysis of eight studies found clear increases in both.
Exercise capacity
Some studies found that beetroot juice improved walking distance or time to exhaustion in people with COPD, but others found no significant improvement. Results were mixed across different studies.
Blood pressure
Some trials in people with COPD found that beetroot juice lowered systolic or diastolic blood pressure, while others found no effect. An analysis of eight studies found no significant effect on blood pressure overall.
Vascular function
Studies in people with COPD found that beetroot juice improved measures of blood vessel function, such as the Reactive Hyperemia Index and flow-mediated dilatation.
Sleep quality
One study in people with COPD found that beetroot juice before sleep changed sleep patterns, including more time in REM sleep and better oxygen saturation after falling asleep.
Other findings
Dosage and safety
Most studies used about 140 mL of beetroot juice per day. The authors note that high intakes of nitrates could lead to formation of compounds with potential harmful effects, and that the optimal dose is not yet known.
What the authors conclude
- They conclude that beetroot juice is a favourable therapeutic alternative for patients with COPD who cannot tolerate exercise rehabilitation, antihypertensive medications, or sleep-improving drugs.
- They advise that beetroot juice may be used alongside other pharmacological treatments to enhance outcomes.
- They call for future high-quality research targeting specific COPD phenotypes to confirm its clinical application and find the optimal dose.
How it was done
The authors wanted to review whether beetroot juice, a readily available and cost-effective source of dietary nitrates, could help improve symptoms and prevent flare-ups in people with COPD.
They searched medical databases up to February 2024 for studies on beetroot, nitrates and COPD, and summarised the findings from the studies they found.
What it can’t tell you
- The studies in this review varied in size, duration and design, and some found benefits while others did not, so the overall picture is mixed.
- The review cannot show whether beetroot juice prevents COPD flare-ups or improves long-term outcomes, because most studies were short and looked at immediate effects.
- The role of other bioactive compounds in beetroot juice, beyond nitrates, is not yet fully understood.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by The Science and Technology Projects of Gansu Province (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.
- Authors work at
- The First Clinical Medical College of Lanzhou University, People's Republic of China; Gansu Provincial Maternity and Child-Care Hospital, People's Republic of China; Gansu Provincial Maternity and Child-Care Hospital (Gansu Provincial Center Hospital), People's Republic of China
The paper
- Title
- Dietary Beetroot Juice - Effects in Patients with COPD: A Review
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Chen M, Chang S, Xu Y, Guo H, Liu J (2024). Dietary Beetroot Juice - Effects in Patients with COPD: A Review. International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. doi:10.2147/COPD.S473397Free full textPubMed 39099609DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error