Do beetroot powders lower blood pressure? What the trials show

Beetroot juice has some trial evidence for a small drop in systolic (top number) blood pressure, but beetroot powders and capsules are a different product. The studies used full glasses of juice, with 200 to 800 mg of nitrate a day, and most supplement labels do not state how much nitrate a serving contains. Without that number, the trial results cannot be applied to the product.

This guide goes through what the trials measured, how large the effect was, what a label has to show before you can compare it with that research, and how several supplements we reviewed handle beetroot. It is general information, not medical advice. Blood pressure treatment belongs with your doctor.

Do beetroot supplements lower blood pressure?

The honest answer is "maybe a little, in some people, when taken as juice." A 2024 meta-analysis of randomized trials in adults with hypertension (clinical readings of 140/90 or higher) pooled 11 trials with 349 patients. Beetroot juice lowered clinical systolic pressure by 5.31 mmHg compared with placebo, water or no intake (95% CI 3.16 to 7.46). It did not significantly change clinical diastolic pressure or 24-hour readings, and the authors rated the certainty of the evidence as low.

That last point matters. A "low certainty" rating means future studies could easily change the estimate. A 5 mmHg change is measurable, but it is far from the 20 or 30 mmHg gaps that advertising copy implies when it talks about "restoring" healthy pressure.

These analyses are about beetroot juice (and, in one of them, inorganic nitrate). They are not tests of a branded powder from a sales page, and that is a separate question.

What did the beetroot trials actually give people?

Beetroot is a dietary source of inorganic nitrate. Bacteria in the mouth and gut turn nitrate into nitrite, and nitrite can end up as nitric oxide, a molecule that relaxes blood vessels. That chain is the reason researchers tried beetroot in the first place.

The trials were built around liquid doses:

• The 2024 hypertension meta-analysis described the studied intake as 200 to 800 mg of nitrate a day, delivered as beetroot juice.
• A 2017 meta-analysis of 22 studies (650 people in the beetroot groups) found larger drops with longer use and bigger volumes. Systolic pressure was 4.78 mmHg lower at 500 mL a day, against 2.37 mmHg lower at the 70 and 140 mL doses.
• A 2013 meta-analysis of 16 crossover trials, with 7 to 30 people each and durations from 2 hours to 15 days, found a 4.4 mmHg systolic drop. Its diastolic change (1.1 mmHg) was not statistically significant.

So the typical research dose is a glass of juice, often a few hundred milliliters, for days or weeks. A capsule or a scoop of mixed powder is a very different thing unless the label gives the nitrate content.

How big and how reliable is the effect?

Across the three meta-analyses, the average systolic change falls between roughly 3.5 and 5.3 mmHg. Diastolic changes are smaller and less consistent. Here is a side-by-side view.

Review	Trials	Systolic change	Diastolic change
2024, adults with hypertension	11 (349 patients)	-5.31 mmHg	Not significant
2017, mixed populations	22 studies	-3.55 mmHg	-1.32 mmHg
2013, mixed populations	16 crossover trials	-4.4 mmHg	-1.1 mmHg, not significant

Two cautions apply. First, heterogeneity was moderate to high in the 2024 review, meaning the trials disagreed with each other. Second, a pooled analysis of four trials in 85 older adults (ages 55 to 76) found no significant effect on 24-hour blood pressure outcomes after beetroot juice. Its authors suggested that vascular aging may change how well the body converts nitrate into nitrite.

The 2017 authors also noted something that matters for supplements. In trials that used nitrate-depleted beetroot juice as the placebo, the systolic difference was smaller (3.09 mmHg, against 4.51 mmHg in the other comparisons) but still present. They concluded that beetroot may have effects beyond its nitrate. That makes it harder, not easier, to say that a tiny dose of extract would behave like the juice.

Why does the nitrate number on the label matter?

Because the research is expressed in nitrate or in milliliters of juice, and a supplement label usually gives neither. A label that says "beet root powder 1,000 mg" does not tell you how much nitrate that contains. Growing conditions, processing and the form (juice, whole powder, concentrated extract) all change it.

Three label patterns cause most of the confusion:

1. A proprietary blend. The label lists a total and several ingredients, but not how much of each. Beetroot may be most of the blend or a trace.
2. A named extract with no standardization. "Beet root extract" without a nitrate percentage cannot be compared with the studies.
3. A small stated dose. At least the amount is visible, but a few dozen milligrams is a fraction of a glass of juice.

Our review method scores this under transparency and evidence, and each review lists every ingredient with the amount the label gives and the amount the research used.

How do real supplement labels handle beetroot?

These are examples from our reviews, repeated as the reviews state them. They are not new accusations, and each review has the full detail.

Product	What the label shows for beet	Review note
Alpha Surge	Beet root extract, 50 mg	Far smaller than the beetroot servings used in circulation research; nitrate content not disclosed
Man Greens	Beet root powder, 1 g	The review calls it a small fraction of the 5 to 12 g of powder used in the research the page leans on
CircO2	Beet root powder inside a 420 mg blend of four ingredients	No separate amount; the hypertension trial in the review used 250 mL of juice a day for 4 weeks
Spartamax	Beet root, amount not stated	No nitrate content or extract ratio given
VenoPlus 8	RedNite beetroot extract, amount not stated, in a 5.4 g scoop shared with nine other ingredients	Branded extract is real, but the dose cannot be compared

Alpha Surge deserves some credit. It prints every amount, which lets a reader see exactly how small the beetroot portion is. That is more useful than a blend that hides it. Spartamax, on the other hand, lists beetroot among seven ingredients with zero stated doses, though it comes with a long 365-day ClickBank refund window.

The CircO2 review adds one more detail worth knowing. Its headline figures ("200% in 20 minutes," "34% more blood flow") come with no study attached, and the label lists sodium nitrite, which the sales copy does not discuss. If you take blood pressure medicine, ask a pharmacist before using any product with a direct nitrite ingredient.

How to judge a beetroot or nitric oxide supplement

Use this short checklist before paying for any product that links beetroot to blood pressure:

• Is the amount of beetroot printed, and is the nitrate content (in mg) stated?
• Does the page promise a number, such as a drop in mmHg, and is a named study attached to it?
• Is the cited study about juice, and was it in people with your condition?
• Do the ingredients sit in a proprietary blend that hides each amount?
• Does the page urge you to stop or replace prescribed medicine? If so, close it.
• What does the refund window cover, and is it the one you see at checkout? See the ClickBank refund guide.

To compare several heart-health listings in one place, browse the heart health category or the best heart health picks page.

What should you do about high blood pressure itself?

MedlinePlus explains that high blood pressure usually has no symptoms, so the only way to find out is regular checks with a health care provider, who takes two or more readings at separate appointments before making a diagnosis. In its table, stage 2 starts at 140 or higher systolic or 90 or higher diastolic, and a reading above 180/120 is a hypertensive crisis that needs urgent care.

A supplement is not a substitute for that evaluation. If you are on a blood pressure medicine, do not change it because of a sales page. If you want to try more beetroot as food or juice, tell your doctor or pharmacist first, especially if you take several medicines.

FAQ

How much beetroot do you need to lower blood pressure?

There is no established amount. The 2024 meta-analysis reported a lower systolic reading with 200 to 800 mg of nitrate a day from juice, and the 2017 analysis saw larger drops at 500 mL of juice a day than at 70 to 140 mL. Both are low-certainty evidence and neither describes a specific capsule.

Is beetroot powder as good as beetroot juice?

Unknown. The trials used juice. Powder and extract vary in nitrate content, and a label that lacks the nitrate figure cannot be compared with the studies. A product with a stated nitrate amount is easier to evaluate than one without it.

Can beetroot supplements replace blood pressure medication?

No. Even in the best meta-analysis, the average systolic drop was about 5 mmHg, with moderate to high variation between trials. Medication decisions belong to your prescriber.

Why do nitric oxide supplements list beetroot next to L-citrulline?

Both are linked to the nitric oxide pathway in research, and sales pages combine them for that reason. Each has its own studied dose, which is often much larger than what a shared blend can carry. The CircO2 review walks through this comparison for one product.