Table 3.
Acute effects of beetroot on blood pressure and vascular function
| Author | Study population | Study Design | Sample size | Dose of beetroot and its corresponding NO3 content | Findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Webb et al. [14] | Healthy subjects | Randomized, open-label crossover | 14 | Consumption of 500 mL beetroot juice (~ 1395 mg NO3) | ↓ Both SBP and DBP |
| Joris et al. [34] | Overweight and obese men | Randomized crossover | 20 | Consumption of 140 mL beetroot juice (~ 420 mg NO3) vs. NO3-depleted beetroot juice | Improve postprandial endothelial function |
| Hobbs et al. [35] | Healthy adults |
Randomized, open-label, controlled crossover |
23 | Daily consumption of 200 g beetroot bread (contains 100 g beetroot ~ 70 mg NO3) vs. 200 g white bread (< 0.6 mg NO3) |
↑ Endothelium-independent vasodilation ↓ DBP |
| Hobbs et al. [36] | Healthy adults | Randomized, controlled, single-blind, cross-over | 32 | Consumption of 500 g low-NO3 (< 3.1 mg NO3) mineral water (as control), 100 g beetroot juice+ 400 g water (~ 142 mg NO3), 250 g beetroot juice+ 250 g water (~ 465 mg NO3) or 500 g beetroot juice (~ 706 mg NO3) | ↓ Both SBP and DBP in a dose-dependent manner |
| Hobbs et al. [36] | Healthy adults | Randomized, controlled, single-blind, cross-over | 32 | Consumption of 200 g red beetroot- and white beetroot-enriched breads (contains 100 g red- or white-beetroot ~ 112 and 99 mg NO3, respectively) vs. white bread (< 3.1 mg NO3) | ↓ SBP and DBP |
| Hughes et al. [37] | Healthy young and old adults | Randomized, controlled, double-blind, cross-over | 26 | Consumption of 500 mL beetroot juice (~ 583 mg NO3) |
↓ Peripheral and aortic BP in both young and older adults ↓ Aortic wave reflection (assessed by aortic augmentation index) only in young adults |
| Vanhatalo et al. [30] | Healthy adults | Randomized, controlled, double-blind, cross-over | 8 | Consumption of 500 mL beetroot juice (~ 322 mg NO3) vs. 500 mL low-calorie juice | ↓ SBP and DBP |
| Kapil et al. [38] | Healthy adults | Randomized, double-blind, cross-over | 35 | Consumption of 250 mL beetroot juice (~ 340 mg NO3) vs. 250 mL water | ↓ SBP, prevented endothelial dysfunction caused by ischemia reperfusion |
| Kemmner et al. [39] | patients with chronic kidney disease | Randomized open-label cross-over | 17 | Consumption of 30 g beetroot powder dispended in 200 mL tap water (~ 300 mg NO3) vs. 200 mL tap water | ↓ Both SBP and DBP, ↓ arterial BP, ↓ renal resistive index |
| Ghosh et al. [40] | Hypertensive adults | Randomized open-label crossover | 30 | Consumption of 250 mL beetroot juice (~ 217 mg NO3) vs. 250 mL low NO3 water (< 4.3 mg NO3) |
↓ Both SBP and DBP, ↓pulse wave velocity ↑ Erythrocytic XOR expression and XOR-dependent NO2 reductase activity |
| Velmurugan et al. [33] | patients with hypercholesterolemia | Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled | 69 | Consumption of 250 mL beetroot juice (~ 370 mg NO3) vs. NO3-depleted beetroot juice |
↓ SBP ↑ Flow mediated dilation, ↓pulse wave velocity, ↓ augmentation index |
| Berry et al. [41] | COPD patients | Randomized, single-blind, crossover | 15 | Consumption of 140 ml beetroot juice (~ 480 mg NO3) vs. NO3-depleted beetroot juice (< 1 mg NO3) | ↓ Resting SBP and DBP |
| Coles et al. [42] | Healthy adults | Rndomized double-blind,, placebo-controlled, crossover | 30 | Consumption of 140 ml beetroot juice (~ 465 mg NO3) vs. apple juice | ↓ SBP in men |
| Curtis et al. [43] | COPD patients | Randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over single dose | 21 | Consumption of 140 ml beetroot juice (~ 800 mg NO3) vs. NO3-depleted beetroot juice | ↓ Resting DBP |
NO Nitric Oxide, DBP Diastolic Blood Pressure, SBP Systolic Blood Pressure, COPD Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease