- Drinking beet juice may be helpful for people trying to improve their heart health, according to one study.
- Researchers found that drinking the juice twice daily lowered blood pressure in older adults.
- The effects appear to come from the relationship between the nitrates in beets, how they impact blood pressure, and the oral microbiome.
If left untreated, high blood pressure can lead to a host of health problems, eventually increasing your risk for heart attack, stroke, and heart failure, per the American Heart Association. While medication can help, simple lifestyle changes can also go far toward lowering blood pressure. So when a study found that drinking beet juice lowers blood pressure, we had to interrogate it. Below, discover what the study found, how a cardiologist and registered dietitian interpret the findings, and whether you should start sipping beet juice as part of your heart-healthy lifestyle.
Meet the Experts: Padma Shenoy, M.D., a cardiologist with Manhattan Cardiology and LabFinder.com contributor and Elizabeth Adrian, R.D.N., a registered dietitian nutritionist and founder of City to Sea Nutrition.
In the small randomized double-blind crossover study, which was published in Free Radical Biology and Medicine, researchers linked beetroot juice consumption with lowered blood pressure in older adults. Over three two-week trial periods (with two week breaks in between each one), study participants were instructed to either drink nitrate-rich beet juice or a placebo beet juice twice daily or rinse their mouths with mouthwash twice daily for 30 seconds, aside from the last day, which prompted one final drink or rinse. The beet juice and placebo drinkers did not use mouthwash during their assigned juice-drinking periods. Participants were divided into two demographics—younger adults (aged between 18 and 30) and older adults (aged between 67 to 79). There were 42 young adults and 36 older adults, making for a small, combined cohort of 78 people.
The goal was to analyze how bacterial changes within the oral microbiome may influence blood pressure levels. So, researchers monitored both the whole time. Participants were not medicated for any pulmonary, cardiovascular, or metabolic conditions, nor did they have ulcerative colitis, renal disease, or active oral disease or dentures. People who smoked and people with stage 2 hypertension or those who had used antibiotics within three months prior to the study were also excluded.
The testing began after an overnight fast and the avoidance of strenuous exercise, alcohol, and caffeine for 24 hours. Other than drinking their assigned drink (70 milliliters of beet juice or placebo morning and evening, or that 30-second twice-daily rinse), participants proceeded normally with all their other habits.
After the three trials were compared, researchers concluded that drinking beetroot juice may help lower blood pressure in older adults (the blood pressure-lowering effect was not seen in the younger group). According to Padma Shenoy, M.D., a cardiologist with Manhattan Cardiology and LabFinder.com contributor, this was “likely by changing the composition of bacteria in the mouth.”
More specifically, researchers discovered that drinking beet juice led to “a decrease in certain bacteria (like Prevotella) and an increase in others (such as Neisseria and Rothia) that are better at converting dietary nitrate into nitric oxide, a compound that helps blood vessels relax,” explained Elizabeth Adrian, R.D.N., a registered dietitian nutritionist and founder of City to Sea Nutrition.
How does beet juice lower blood pressure?
What happened in the study seems to be based on the relationship between nitrates, blood pressure, and the oral microbiome. Nitrates are chemicals found naturally in the environment, vegetables, and preserved meats. With the help of the aforementioned bacteria that live in the mouth, dietary nitrates are converted to nitric oxide, which can improve heart health by relaxing blood vessels and boosting blood flow, said Dr. Shenoy. In fact, nitrates are commonly found in blood pressure-controlling medications, she added. “That’s why diets high in nitrate-rich vegetables, like spinach, arugula, and beets, are consistently linked with better vascular health,” concluded Adrian.
The question mark hanging over these findings is the role of the oral microbiome, but it does appear to have one. “We are still learning about the connection between the oral microbiome and blood pressure, but it is possible that certain bacteria in the mouth could turn nutrients into substances that lower blood pressure,” Dr. Shenoy explained.
You may have previously heard of concerns regarding excess nitrate consumption and the potential cancer risk associated with it. Those concerns are largely linked to processed food (like deli meats and cheeses) and water sources with added nitrates that aim to prevent bacteria growth and improve food’s taste and color. Naturally occurring nitrates in vegetables are considered safe to eat (and are found in some of the healthiest foods, like leafy greens, beets, and celery).
Should you try it?
“According to this study, only older adults experienced a slight drop in blood pressure from drinking beetroot juice, and more studies are needed to explore which individuals will respond,” said Dr. Shenoy. “Eating more vegetables like beetroot may help heart health, but it is important to remember that is just one part of a healthy lifestyle. More research is needed to support strong recommendations to consume beetroot as a blood-pressure lowering therapy.”
While it does not appear that drinking beet juice will hinder your efforts to lower your blood pressure, Dr. Shenoy stressed that it’s only one tool in your toolbox. “Other components of a heart-healthy lifestyle include eating a varied diet, limiting sodium intake, and exercising regularly,” she said. The combination of these healthy choices—plus personalized recommendations from your physician—will have the largest effect on your blood pressure and heart health overall.
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