Beetroot: What It Actually Does in Your Body

Raw beetroot contains inorganic nitrates that your body converts to nitric oxide, a molecule that relaxes blood vessel walls and lowers blood pressure within hours of consumption. It also contains betalains, the red-violet pigments responsible for beetroot's color, which reduce oxidative stress through mechanisms distinct from more common antioxidants like vitamin C.

The pathway is indirect and depends on bacteria living on your tongue.

When you eat raw beetroot, you consume inorganic nitrate (NO₃⁻). About 25% of that nitrate is concentrated in your saliva by the salivary glands and converted to nitrite (NO₂⁻) by anaerobic bacteria on the back of your tongue.¹ That nitrite is then swallowed and further reduced to nitric oxide (NO) in the acidic environment of your stomach and throughout the vascular system.

Nitric oxide signals smooth muscle cells in blood vessel walls to relax. The result is measurable. A 2013 meta-analysis of 16 clinical trials found that dietary nitrate supplementation, primarily from beetroot juice, reduced systolic blood pressure by an average of 4.4 mmHg.² For context, that magnitude of reduction is associated with roughly a 10% lower risk of cardiovascular events at the population level.

The catch: this entire pathway requires those oral bacteria. Studies have shown that using antibacterial mouthwash disrupts nitrate-to-nitrite conversion and blunts the blood pressure response.³ If you are using chlorhexidine-based mouthwash daily, the nitrate pathway from beetroot may be partially short-circuited.

Betalains are nitrogen-containing pigments found almost exclusively in beets and a few cacti. They are not flavonoids, not carotenoids, and not anthocyanins. They belong to their own class.

The two main types in red beetroot are betacyanins (red-violet) and betaxanthins (yellow-orange). Betanin, the dominant betacyanin, has demonstrated antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity in cell and animal studies, primarily through inhibiting NF-κB and COX-2 pathways.⁴

In practical terms, betalains appear to reduce markers of oxidative stress. A small 2016 study (n=28) in adults with osteoarthritis found that participants who consumed betalain-rich beetroot extract reported reduced pain scores compared to placebo over 10 days.⁵ Promising, but the sample size means this is hypothesis-generating, not conclusive.

One useful property: betalains are more stable in acidic environments than anthocyanins found in berries. This matters because your stomach is acidic. Betalains may retain more of their structure through digestion than some other plant pigments, though direct head-to-head bioavailability comparisons in humans are limited.

Raw beetroot and processed beetroot are not the same nutritional proposition.

Nitrate content is sensitive to heat. Boiling beetroot for 30 or more minutes can reduce nitrate levels by 25 to 40%, with some of the nitrate leaching into the cooking water.⁶ Roasting retains more nitrate than boiling because there is no water to leach into, but prolonged high heat still degrades some compounds.

Betalains are heat-sensitive and water-soluble. They begin to degrade significantly above 50°C (122°F). A food science review found that thermal processing at standard cooking temperatures reduced betalain content by 30 to 50% depending on duration and method.⁶

Raw beetroot, whether grated, blended, or juiced, preserves the highest concentrations of both nitrates and betalains. Blending has an advantage over juicing: it retains the fiber matrix, which slows sugar absorption (beetroot is one of the higher-sugar root vegetables) and feeds gut bacteria through its prebiotic pectin content.

Beetroot is not a high-fiber food by the standards of leafy greens. One medium raw beet (~136g) provides about 3.8g of fiber. But the type of fiber matters more than the total.

Beetroot's fiber includes pectin, a soluble fiber that forms a gel-like consistency in the gut. Pectin has demonstrated prebiotic properties, selectively feeding beneficial Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus strains in vitro.⁷ It also slows gastric emptying, which moderates the blood sugar response to the natural sugars in beetroot itself.

When beetroot is juiced, most of this fiber is discarded. When it is blended raw, the fiber stays intact. For anyone managing blood sugar or trying to support gut health, the difference between juiced and whole-food blended beetroot is not trivial.

Beetroot is well-tolerated by most people, but there are a few things worth knowing.

Beeturia is the most common surprise. Roughly 10 to 14% of the population will notice red or pink urine after eating beetroot. This is harmless and caused by betalain pigments passing through without being fully metabolized. It can be startling if you are not expecting it.

Beetroot is moderately high in oxalates. People with a history of calcium oxalate kidney stones may want to moderate their intake. However, the oxalate concern is often overstated for whole-food consumption at normal dietary levels. Drinking one serving of a beetroot-containing blend is not the same as consuming concentrated beetroot juice daily.

Nitrate intake from food sources is generally considered safe. The European Food Safety Authority has noted that dietary nitrate from vegetables does not carry the same risk profile as nitrates from processed meats, where nitrosamines can form during high-heat cooking.

People taking blood pressure medication should be aware that beetroot can lower blood pressure additively. This is not a reason to avoid it, but it is a reason to monitor and discuss with a doctor if you are on antihypertensives.

Beetroot is a strong fit for people interested in cardiovascular support through the nitric oxide pathway, particularly those looking for a food-based approach rather than supplements. The blood pressure evidence from clinical trials is more robust than for most single vegetables.

It also works well for people who want anti-inflammatory support from a compound class (betalains) that most Western diets lack entirely. If your diet already includes berries, leafy greens, and citrus, you are getting anthocyanins, flavonoids, and vitamin C. You are almost certainly not getting meaningful amounts of betalains unless you eat beets.

Beetroot may not be the best primary ingredient for people who need to closely manage blood sugar without any fiber buffer. The sugar content is moderate, but higher than leafy greens. That said, when consumed as part of a blended whole-food format where the fiber is retained, the glycemic impact is significantly different from drinking straight beet juice.

Sunrise Blends uses raw beetroot in our reds because the nitrate and betalain profiles are best preserved without heat processing. Blending it raw with other whole ingredients means the fiber stays intact, which slows sugar absorption and supports the gut in ways that juicing or powdering cannot replicate.

We pair beetroot with turmeric root, which adds its own anti-inflammatory pathway through curcumin and NF-κB modulation. Combined with the fat from avocado oil and the piperine from black pepper in the same blend, these ingredients are designed to work together rather than in isolation.

Sources cited in this article:

1. Lundberg JO, Weitzberg E, Gladwin MT. The nitrate-nitrite-nitric oxide pathway in physiology and therapeutics. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery. 2008;7(2):156-167.
2. Siervo M, Lara J, Ogbonmwan I, Mathers JC. Inorganic nitrate and beetroot juice supplementation reduces blood pressure in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Journal of Nutrition. 2013;143(6):818-826.
3. Kapil V, Haydar SMA, Pearl V, Lundberg JO, Weitzberg E, Ahluwalia A. Physiological role for nitrate-reducing oral bacteria in blood pressure control. Free Radical Biology and Medicine. 2013;55:93-100.
4. Esatbeyoglu T, Wagner AE, Schini-Kerth VB, Rimbach G. Betanin, a food colorant with biological activity. Molecular Nutrition and Food Research. 2015;59(1):36-47.
5. Pietrzkowski Z, Argumedo R, Shu C, et al. Betalain-rich red beet concentrate improves reduced knee discomfort and joint function: a double blind, placebo-controlled pilot clinical study. Nutrition and Dietary Supplements. 2014;6:9-13.