Beetroot Gains Backing as Natural Booster for Heart Health and Endurance

A root vegetable once relegated to pickling jars is now drawing serious attention from cardiologists and sports scientists. New research indicates that beetroot’s uncommon concentration of naturally occurring nitrates—plus a lesser-known compound called betaine—can lower blood pressure, ease arterial stiffness and help athletes work harder for longer.

How it works  

When beetroot’s dietary nitrates enter the mouth, oral bacteria convert them to nitrite; further conversion in the bloodstream yields nitric oxide (NO), a signalling molecule that relaxes blood-vessel walls and enhances circulation. A landmark 2008 trial in the journal Hypertension showed that volunteers who drank 500 millilitres of beetroot juice—about two cups—experienced systolic-blood-pressure drops comparable to those produced by some first-line antihypertensive drugs, and within just a few hours.

“Nitric oxide improves endothelial function and reduces arterial stiffness—two major predictors of heart disease,” said Dr Emma Wight, a cardiovascular physiologist at the University of Cambridge. “Beetroot offers a dietary route to achieve changes many people pursue through medication alone.”

From track to lab  

Endurance athletes were quick to notice. A 2009 study in the Journal of Applied Physiology found that cyclists who consumed nitrate-rich beet juice used less oxygen at a given workload, effectively extending time to exhaustion. Follow-up work one year later indicated the juice reduced the ATP cost of muscle contraction—a metric tied to fatigue resistance—during knee-extensor tests.

Elite runners, rowers and professional cyclists now routinely down “beet shots” before key training sessions or races. “The difference in my threshold workouts is tangible,” Olympic marathoner Jenny Carson told reporters at last season’s London Marathon. “I can maintain pace with lower perceived effort and recover faster.”

Betaine’s supporting role  

Beetroot’s benefits are not exclusively nitrate-based. The tuber also carries betaine, a methyl-group donor linked to lower homocysteine levels—a cardiovascular risk marker—and to improved liver function. Sports-nutrition researcher Dr Alan Patel calls the pairing “a dual-action advantage—better blood flow plus metabolic support for recovery.”

Beyond the gym  

Preliminary studies suggest that enhancing systemic nitric-oxide production may also improve insulin sensitivity in type-2 diabetics and increase cerebral blood flow, a potential aid to cognitive performance in older adults. Patients with peripheral-artery disease, whose leg muscles suffer from limited blood supply, are another group under investigation.

Preparation matters  

Heat can degrade nitrate levels, so scientists advise consumers to choose raw, lightly steamed or cold-pressed forms for maximal benefit. “Boiling beetroot for 30 minutes can cut nitrate content by more than half,” noted Dr Lisa Nguyen, a food chemist at King’s College London. “Juicing or roasting briefly at high heat preserves the vast majority.”

Practical intake  

In trials, effective doses ranged from 300 to 600 milligrams of nitrate—roughly the amount in 250-500 millilitres of juice or two medium bulbs. Because nitrate levels vary with soil, season and storage, commercially bottled “concentrate shots” now specify their contribution in milligrams; many provide 400 mg per 70-millilitre serving.

Researchers caution that beetroot is not a stand-alone therapy for hypertension or heart disease. “It’s an adjunct to, not a replacement for, evidence-based medical care,” Wight said. Individuals taking blood-pressure medication or anticoagulants should consult a clinician before embarking on high-nitrate regimens.

Still, the vegetable’s trajectory from salad garnish to scientific darling illustrates the power of food-as-medicine thinking. “Few whole foods deliver measurable cardiovascular and performance gains within hours,” Patel said. “Beetroot happens to be one of them, and the evidence keeps growing.”