The Study
Impact of Red Beetroot Juice on Vascular Endothelial Function and Cardiometabolic Responses to a High-Fat Meal in Middle-Aged/Older Adults with Overweight and Obesity: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Trial
This study gave people beetroot juice and checked if it helped their blood vessels after eating a fatty meal. It found that the juice made certain chemicals in the blood go up, but those changes didn’t actually help the blood vessels work better. So, we know the juice changed some numbers, but we don’t know if it made people healthier.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Scientists gave people beetroot juice or fake juice to see if it helped their blood vessels after eating a big fatty meal.
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 572 / 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.
- 1Even though beetroot juice boosted nitrate, it didn't help blood vessels work better after a fatty meal — so drinking it won't undo the effects of a burger or pizza.
- 2Beetroot juice raised nitrate levels 2.5 times, but didn't improve blood vessel function.
- 3The fatty meal didn't harm blood vessels either.
- 4Only a short-term drop in artery stiffness happened with nitrate.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Current Developments in Nutrition
Year
2019
Authors
N. Litwin, Hannah J Van Ark, Shannon C. Hartley, Kiri A Michell, Allegra R. Vazquez, Emily K Fischer, C. Melby, T. Weir, Yuren Wei, Sangeeta Rao, Kerry L. Hildreth, D. Seals, M. Pagliassotti, S. Johnson
Related Content
Claims (5)
Drinking red beetroot juice regularly does not change the levels of NADPH oxidase protein in the lining of blood vessels in middle-aged and older adults with overweight or obesity.
For middle-aged and older adults with overweight or obesity, drinking red beetroot juice without nitrates does not improve blood vessel function or reduce metabolic stress after meals.
In middle-aged and older adults with overweight or obesity, drinking 70 mL of red beetroot juice daily raises nitrate and nitrite levels in the blood by about 2.5 times compared to a placebo, but does not improve blood vessel function or consistently change metabolic responses after a high-fat meal.
In middle-aged and older adults with overweight or obesity, eating one high-fat meal does not consistently reduce vascular endothelial function, even though it temporarily raises insulin and triglyceride levels.
In middle-aged and older adults with overweight or obesity, drinking red beetroot juice or a nitrate-supplemented beverage after a high-fat meal lowers arterial stiffness measured as augmentation index at 4 hours, compared to drinking a nitrate-free beverage or placebo.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.