Table 4.
Effects of beetroot on glucose-insulin homeostasis, lipid profiles and oxidative stress
| Author | Study population | Study design | Sample size | Duration (days) | Dose of beetroot and NO3 | Findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shepherd et al. [81] | Healthy young and old adults | Randomized double- blind, placebo controlled, cross- over | 31 | – | Consumption of 140 mL beetroot juice (~ 738 mg NO3) vs. NO3-depleted beetroot juice | No effect on plasma glucose, C-peptide, or incretin concentration |
| Fuchs et al. [82] | Obese, insulin-resistant patients | Randomized double- blind, controlled | 16 | – | Consumption of 100 mL beetroot juice (~ 300 mg NO3) vs. water | No effect on postprandial glucose and insulin response |
| Wootton-Beard et al. [48] | Healthy adults | Randomized single- blind, placebo controlled, cross- over | 16 | – | Consumption of 225 mL beetroot juice (~ 990 mg NO3) vs. control beverage matched for macronutrient content |
↓ Postprandial insulin response in the early phase (0–60 min) ↓ Glucose response in the 0–30 min phase |
| Gilchrist et al. [28] | T2DM patients | Randomized double- blind, placebo controlled, cross- over | 27 | 14 | Daily consumption of 250 mL beetroot juice (~ 500 mg NO3) vs. NO3-depleted beetroot juice | No effect on insulin resistance |
| Kerley et al. [27] | Controlled and uncontrolled hypertensive patients | Pilot study | 19 | 14 | Daily consumption of 140 ml beetroot juice (~ 800 mg NO3) | ↓ Serum LDL-C in uncontrolled patients |
| Asgary et al. [29] | Hypertensive un-treated adults | Randomized crossover pilot study | 24 | 14 | Daily consumption of 250 mL beetroot juice vs. 250 g cooked beetroot |
No effect on blood glucose ↓ Serum hs-CRP, IL-6 and TNF-α ↑ TAC in beetroot juice group ↓ Non-HDL-C, total cholesterol and LDL-C in beetroot juice group |
| Singh et al. [80] | Healthy adults | Randomized, cross- over | 30 | 15 | Daily consumption of 500 mL beetroot juice | ↑ HDL-C, ↓ LDL-C, ↑ Total antioxidant capacity and serum vitamin C levels |
| Kapil et al. [32] | Hypertensive older adults | Randomized, phase 2, double-blind, placebo-controlled study | 68 | 28 | Daily consumption of 250 mL beetroot juice (~ 450 mg NO3) vs. NO3-depleted beetroot juice | No effect on fasting glucose, glycated haemoglobin, serum creatinine, sodium and potassium, or lipid profile |
| Velmurugan et al. [33] | patients with hypercholesterolemia | Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled | 69 | 42 | Daily consumption of 250 mL beetroot juice (~ 370 mg NO3) vs. NO3-depleted beetroot juice | No effect on oxidized LDL, hs-CRP, and uric acid |
NO Nitric Oxide, T2DM Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, hs-CRP high-sensitivity C-Reactive Protein, IL-6 Interleukin-6, TNF-α Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha, HDL-C High Density Lipoprotein-Cholesterol, LDL-C Low Density Lipoprotein- Cholesterol