How beetroot juice might lower blood pressure
Inorganic Nitrate Supplementation Lowers Blood Pressure in Humans: Role for Nitrite-Derived NO
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Potassium chloride (KCl) had no effect on blood pressure, proving nitrate—not potassium—is the active ingredient
Many people assume potassium supplements lower blood pressure, but this study shows it's specifically the nitrate component that matters.
Practical Takeaways
Drink 250mL of beetroot juice daily for potential blood pressure benefits
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Potassium chloride (KCl) had no effect on blood pressure, proving nitrate—not potassium—is the active ingredient
Many people assume potassium supplements lower blood pressure, but this study shows it's specifically the nitrate component that matters.
Practical Takeaways
Drink 250mL of beetroot juice daily for potential blood pressure benefits
Publication
Journal
Hypertension
Year
2010
Authors
V. Kapil, A. Milsom, M. Okorie, Sheiva Maleki-Toyserkani, Farihah Akram, F. Rehman, S. Arghandawi, Vanessa Pearl, N. Benjamin, S. Loukogeorgakis, R. Macallister, A. Hobbs, A. Webb, A. Ahluwalia
Related Content
Claims (10)
Bacteria in the mouth help regulate blood pressure by converting nitrate to nitrite, which is part of the body's natural blood pressure control system.
Taking nitrate supplements makes more nitrite in your blood, and the more you take, the more nitrite you get.
Taking nitrate supplements lowers blood pressure, and the more you take, the more your blood pressure goes down. The biggest drop was about 9 mm Hg for systolic and 6 mm Hg for diastolic blood pressure.
When nitrite levels in the blood go up after taking nitrate supplements, blood pressure tends to go down more. The higher the nitrite increase, the bigger the blood pressure drop.
People with higher blood pressure to start with tend to see bigger drops in blood pressure when they take nitrate supplements.