Heart health · 7 min read

The Complete Guide to Beetroot Juice and Blood Pressure

How beet juice lowers blood pressure, how much to drink, how fast it works, and who benefits most — with the clinical evidence.

Last updated October 9, 2026 • Reviewed by Dr. A. Reviewer, M.Sc. Nutrition • Based on peer-reviewed sources

Short answer: Nitrate-rich beet juice lowers systolic (top-number) blood pressure by roughly 4–8 mmHg on average.^{[Siervo et al., 2013 1; Benjamim et al., 2022 13; Kapil et al., 2015 2]}

Key takeaways

✓Nitrate-rich beet juice lowers systolic (top-number) blood pressure by roughly 4–8 mmHg on average.^{[Siervo et al., 2013 1; Benjamim et al., 2022 13; Kapil et al., 2015 2]}
✓Effects start within a few hours and peak around 3 hours after drinking.^{[Webb et al., 2008 4]}
✓About 250 ml (8 oz) a day is the most-studied dose.^{[Kapil et al., 2015 2]}
✓It's an add-on to — not a replacement for — medication and lifestyle changes.^{[British Heart Foundation 37; Grönroos et al., 2024 12]}

How beet juice lowers blood pressure

Beets are rich in inorganic nitrate. Bacteria on your tongue convert it to nitrite, which your body turns into nitric oxide — a molecule that relaxes and widens blood vessels.^{[Lundberg et al., 2008 6; Alzahrani et al., 2020 56]}

In the landmark 2008 trial, 500 ml of juice lowered blood pressure by up to 10.4 mmHg, and the effect tracked the rise in blood nitrite. When volunteers spat out their saliva, the effect disappeared.^{[Webb et al., 2008 4]}

Other compounds in beetroot, such as potassium and pigments, may add a small effect beyond nitrate alone.^{[Bahadoran et al., 2017 40]}

What the trials show

A 2013 meta-analysis of 16 trials found an average systolic drop of 4.4 mmHg.^{[Siervo et al., 2013 1]}

In people with diagnosed hypertension, reviews find drops of about 5 mmHg systolic, with no sign the effect wears off over up to 90 days.^{[Benjamim et al., 2022 13; Grönroos et al., 2024 12; Sagar et al., 2023 41; Bonilla Ocampo et al., 2018 39]}

The best single patient trial gave 250 ml daily for 4 weeks: blood pressure fell 7.7 mmHg and blood-vessel function improved by about 20%.^{[Kapil et al., 2015 2]}

The diastolic (bottom) number changes less consistently, and one trial in people already taking medication found no effect after a week.^{[Bondonno et al., 2015 16; Grönroos et al., 2024 12]}

How much and when

Trials typically use 70–500 ml of juice daily, most often about 250 ml, supplying a few hundred milligrams of nitrate.^{[Kapil et al., 2015 2; Norouzzadeh et al., 2025 15]}

More nitrate gives a somewhat larger effect, up to a point.^{[Norouzzadeh et al., 2025 15; Siervo et al., 2013 1]}

Nitrate content varies widely between brands, so check the label where possible.^{[Gallardo et al., 2019 9]}

Who should be careful

If you take blood pressure medication, effects can add up — speak to your clinician first.^{[British Heart Foundation 37; Kapil et al., 2015 2]}

People who form calcium-oxalate kidney stones should avoid large daily amounts.^{[Wang et al., 2024 54; Mafra et al., 2022 29]}

Educational information only — not medical advice. Talk to your clinician before changing your diet or medication.

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References16 peer-reviewed sourcesShow all

1.Siervo M, et al. Inorganic nitrate and beetroot juice supplementation reduces blood pressure in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Nutr. 2013;143(6):818–826. View source
2.Kapil V, et al. Dietary nitrate provides sustained blood pressure lowering in hypertensive patients. Hypertension. 2015;65(2):320–327. View source
4.Webb AJ, et al. Acute blood pressure lowering, vasoprotective, and antiplatelet properties of dietary nitrate via bioconversion to nitrite. Hypertension. 2008;51(3):784–790. View source
6.Lundberg JO, Weitzberg E, Gladwin MT. The nitrate–nitrite–nitric oxide pathway in physiology and therapeutics. Nat Rev Drug Discov. 2008;7(2):156–167. View source
9.Gallardo EJ, Coggan AR. What's in your beet juice? Nitrate and nitrite content of beet juices, powders, and shots. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2019;29(4):345–349. View source
12.Grönroos R, et al. Effects of beetroot juice on blood pressure in hypertension according to ESH criteria: systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2024;34(10):2240–2256. View source
13.Benjamim CJR, et al. Nitrate derived from beetroot juice lowers blood pressure in patients with arterial hypertension: systematic review and meta-analysis. Front Nutr. 2022;9:823039. View source
15.Norouzzadeh M, et al. Plasma nitrate, dietary nitrate, blood pressure and vascular biomarkers: dose-response meta-analysis of 75 randomized controlled trials. Nutr J. 2025. View source
16.Bondonno CP, et al. Absence of an effect of high nitrate intake from beetroot juice on blood pressure in treated hypertensive individuals. Am J Clin Nutr. 2015;102(2):368–375. View source
29.Mafra D, et al. Beetroot as a possible therapy for chronic kidney disease. Nutr Rev. 2022;80(5):1041–1061. View source
37.British Heart Foundation. Can beetroot juice lower blood pressure? Heart Matters magazine. View source
39.Bonilla Ocampo DA, et al. Dietary nitrate from beetroot juice for hypertension: a systematic review. Biomolecules. 2018;8(4):134. View source
40.Bahadoran Z, et al. The nitrate-independent blood pressure-lowering effect of beetroot juice: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Adv Nutr. 2017. View source
41.Sagar PS, et al. Efficacy of beetroot juice on reducing blood pressure in hypertensive adults: systematic review and meta-analysis. 2023. View source
54.Wang X, et al. Current dietary and medical prevention of renal calcium oxalate stones. 2024. View source
56.Alzahrani HS, et al. The role of dietary nitrate and the oral microbiome on blood pressure and vascular tone. Nutr Res Rev. 2020. View source

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