Beetroot (beet) juice can help lower blood pressure. Research has found that the daily consumption of beet juice may benefit people with hypertension, or high blood pressure.
Beets are a sweet root vegetable that has plenty of beneficial properties. This is because beets contain many electrolytes, antioxidants, and many other compounds that can support the health of the brain and cardiovascular system. Beets are rich in nitrate, a compound necessary for nitric oxide production. The body naturally produces nitric oxide, which has a vasorelaxant function. This means it can help relax and widen the blood vessels, helping lower blood pressure. As beets can boost the production of nitric oxide by increasing the concentration of nitrate in the bloodstream, consuming beet juice may help lower blood pressure.
A doctor may recommend consuming beet juice to help manage high blood pressure.
Studies have included individuals with and without high blood pressure. The regular consumption of beet juice led to an average reduction of 3.55 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) for systolic blood pressure and 1.32 mm Hg for diastolic blood pressure. This reduction in blood pressure can cause a significant risk reduction for stroke and other complications that may occur in the cardiovascular system due to hypertension.
While it can help lower blood pressure, beet juice may not be as effective as medications for high blood pressure. A person should always discuss their treatment plan with their doctor.
How long it takes for beet juice to lower blood pressure can vary. However, a stated that beet juice lowers blood pressure in about 3 hours. Further research suggests that drinking beet juice daily for at least 60 days provides the most benefits, helping significantly improve hypertension.
A doctor can advise on whether drinking beet juice alongside taking medications to lower blood pressure may lower a person’s blood pressure too much. If this occurs, the individual may experience symptoms such as:
- dizziness or lightheadedness
- blurry vision
- fainting
- confusion
- weakness or tiredness
- headache
- back or neck pain
- heart palpitations
- nausea
Low blood pressure, which is known as hypotension, can be serious in some cases. If a person experiences any severe symptoms of hypotension that do not improve with sitting or lying down, they need to seek immediate medical help.
Consuming a lot of beet juice may have some downsides. It may change the color of urine and feces due to its pigments. Because of its high oxalate content, beet juice may increase the risk of developing kidney stones for those who have a higher risk of this condition. Beets are high in nitrates. A 2021 systematic review stated that ingesting high levels of nitrates may increase the risk of cancer. This is because it may form carcinogen compounds after interacting with the digestive system.
However, this may balance out due to the positive effects of the antioxidant compounds in beets, as these have an antitumor effect that lowers the risk of developing cancer. Beets can also help improve liver and kidney health while boosting cognitive and physical performance, and beet juice may offer these same benefits.
Eating beets may help lower blood pressure. However, most of the studies focus on the consumption of beet juice. Insufficient scientific evidence exists to confirm whether eating beets has the same beneficial effect as drinking beet juice.
Source: Adapted from the article at https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/288229
