Know2eat

Beetroot

Beta vulgaris

Also known as Beet, Red beet, Table beet, Golden beet

SaveCompare

The swollen taproot of a cultivated Beta vulgaris, deep red from betalain pigments. It is among the richest dietary sources of inorganic nitrate, which is why concentrated beetroot juice is used in so much research.

Muscle & Physical PerformanceHeart HealthCirculationBrain & Cognitive Health

Potential health benefits

Best supported: Strong

Ordered by how well the human research supports them — strongest first. A rating describes the state of the evidence, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Exercise performance

Muscle & Physical Performance
Strong evidence

A large body of randomised trials, summarised in several meta-analyses, finds that beetroot juice improves endurance performance measures such as time to exhaustion and time-trial output by a small margin. The effect is most reliable in recreational athletes and smaller or absent in elite ones.

What may be going on: Nitrate-derived nitric oxide appears to reduce the oxygen cost of submaximal exercise and improve efficiency of muscle contraction.

Strong evidence. Consistent findings across multiple good-quality human studies.

3 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Healthy blood pressure

Heart Health
Strong evidence

Multiple systematic reviews of randomised trials find that beetroot juice lowers systolic blood pressure by a small but consistent amount, with the effect appearing within hours and persisting with daily use. Disagreement between reviews concerns the size of the effect and how long it lasts rather than whether it exists.

What may be going on: Inorganic nitrate is reduced by oral bacteria to nitrite and then to nitric oxide, which relaxes vascular smooth muscle and lowers peripheral resistance.

Strong evidence. Consistent findings across multiple good-quality human studies.

4 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Endothelial function

Circulation
Moderate evidence

Several trials report improved flow-mediated dilation after beetroot juice, consistent with its blood-pressure effect. Trials are mostly short and small, and the longer-term significance is untested.

Moderate evidence. Several human studies point the same way, with real caveats.

3 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Cognitive function

Brain & Cognitive Health
Limited evidence

Some small trials report increased cerebral blood flow and modest changes in reaction time after beetroot juice, particularly in older adults. Cognitive endpoints are inconsistent across studies and the trials are short.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

3 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Ask about Beetroot

Ask about Beetroot

Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.

AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.

Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories43 kcal2%
Protein1.61 g3%
Total fat0.17 g0%
Carbohydrate9.56 g3%
Fibre2.8 g10%
Total sugars6.76 g—
Water87.6 g—
Fats
Saturated fat0.027 g0%
Monounsaturated fat0.032 g—
Polyunsaturated fat0.06 g—
Cholesterol0 mg0%
EPA (omega-3)0 g—
DHA (omega-3)0 g—
DPA (omega-3)0 g—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)0.055 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A2 µg0%
Vitamin C4.9 mg5%
Vitamin D0 µg0%
Vitamin E0.04 mg0%
Vitamin K0.2 µg0%
Thiamin (B1)0.031 mg3%
Riboflavin (B2)0.04 mg3%
Niacin (B3)0.334 mg2%
Pantothenic acid (B5)0.155 mg3%
Vitamin B60.067 mg4%
Folate109 µg27%
Vitamin B120 µg0%
Choline6 mg1%
Minerals
Calcium16 mg1%
Iron0.8 mg4%
Magnesium23 mg5%
Phosphorus40 mg3%
Potassium325 mg7%
Sodium78 mg3%
Zinc0.35 mg3%
Copper0.075 mg8%
Manganese0.329 mg14%
Selenium0.7 µg1%
Other measured compounds
Beta-carotene20 µg—
Alpha-carotene0 µg—
Lycopene0 µg—
Lutein + zeaxanthin0 µg—
Caffeine0 mg—
Ash1.08 g—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Beets, raw (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 169145).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

  • crushedIncreases nitrate dose per serving

    Juicing concentrates several beetroots into one glass, which is how research doses of nitrate are reached. Whole cooked beetroot delivers far less nitrate per realistic serving.

  • boiledReduces nitrate content

    Nitrate is water-soluble and leaches into cooking water, so boiled and drained beetroot carries less than roasted or raw.

  • roastedPreserves nitrate content

    Dry-heat roasting keeps the nitrate in the root rather than losing it to cooking water, though some betalain pigment is degraded by prolonged heat.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

  • Interaction

    Additive effect with blood-pressure medication

    Concentrated beetroot juice lowers blood pressure measurably, so it can add to the effect of antihypertensive drugs. People already on treatment, particularly those prone to dizziness on standing, should raise it with their prescriber before using it daily.

  • Worth knowing

    Oxalate content and kidney stones

    Beetroot and especially beet greens are high in oxalate. People with a history of calcium oxalate stones should count beetroot towards their daily oxalate total, and concentrated juice compresses a lot into one glass.

  • Worth knowing

    Beeturia

    Betalain pigment colours the urine and sometimes the stool pink or red in a substantial minority of people. It is entirely harmless but is regularly mistaken for blood and triggers unnecessary investigation.

  • Worth knowing

    Antibacterial mouthwash blunts the effect

    Nitrate only becomes active after bacteria on the tongue reduce it to nitrite. Chlorhexidine and other antibacterial mouthwashes remove those bacteria and abolish most of the blood-pressure and performance effects, which is a real consideration for anyone using beetroot for that reason.

  • Worth knowing

    Sugar in concentrated juice

    Beetroot is one of the sweeter vegetables, and the concentrated shots used in research condense several roots into a small volume, along with their sugar.