Drinking beetroot juice with 400 mg of nitrate raises levels of nitrate and nitrite in the blood of young, active men during leg exercise, but does not improve how well they perform, how much blood flows to their muscles, how efficiently they use energy, or their hormone levels during the exercise.

In young men who exercise regularly, consuming beetroot juice or citrulline malate does not make their leg muscles stronger during maximum effort cycling or leg extensions, even though beetroot juice raises certain compounds in the blood.

Out of 24 beetroot juice brands tested, only five gave you enough nitrate in one serving to possibly help you exercise better — the rest didn’t deliver the amount scientists think you need.

Even if healthy middle-aged and older adults take the same amount of beetroot juice every day, some people still get more nitrite in their blood than others—so something else, like their mouth bacteria or genes, must be why they respond differently.

Drinking beetroot juice with 800 mg of nitrate after working out might lower blood pressure by about 9 points in women over 50 who have high blood pressure, helping their heart recover better.

Drinking beetroot juice (about 1 cup) lowers blood pressure, with the biggest drop being about 5 mm Hg, and it works similarly to nitrate supplements.