The Study
One Week of Daily Dosing With Beetroot Juice Improves Submaximal Endurance and Blood Pressure in Older Patients With Heart Failure and Preserved Ejection Fraction.
This study is like a fair test where some kids got beet juice and others got fake juice to see if it helps them ride a bike longer. It found that after a week of beet juice, kids could ride longer — but we don’t know if they knew which juice they got, so it’s not perfect. We can say it probably helped, but we need more kids to be sure.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Older people with a type of heart failure often get tired easily. This study gave them beet juice for a week and found they could cycle longer without getting as tired.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 554 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — 24% longer exercise time means more energy for daily activities like walking or climbing stairs.
- 2After one week of beet juice: 24% longer cycling time, blood pressure dropped by 14 mmHg.
- 3One sip of beet juice did nothing.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
JACC. Heart failure
Year
2016
Authors
Joel D. Eggebeen, D. Kim-Shapiro, M. Haykowsky, T. Morgan, S. Basu, P. Brubaker, Jack W Rejeski, D. Kitzman
Related Content
Claims (6)
In older adults with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, drinking beetroot juice every day for one week increases the ability to sustain physical activity at submaximal effort and lowers systolic blood pressure.
If older adults with a specific type of heart condition drink beetroot juice every day for a week, their resting blood pressure may drop by about 14 points — which could be a meaningful improvement for their health.
Drinking beetroot juice every day for a week can help older adults with a certain type of heart condition ride a stationary bike longer before getting tired, which might make everyday activities easier for them.
Drinking beetroot juice with a specific amount of nitrate doesn’t make the body use less oxygen when older adults with a certain type of heart failure exercise lightly — so if they feel less tired, it’s probably because their blood flows better or their heart doesn’t have to work as hard, not because their muscles are using energy more efficiently.
Beetroot juice works in the body of heart failure patients — it raises levels of chemicals that help blood vessels relax — even if it doesn’t help them exercise better after just one drink.
Drinking one glass of beetroot juice won’t help older adults with a certain type of heart failure exercise better, even though it raises a chemical in their blood — they might need to drink it every day for a while before they see any benefit.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.