What to know about beetroot powder
Betalain, a plant nutrient found in beetroot powder, helps reduce oxidative and nitrative stress. Oxidative and nitrative stress comes from the presence of reactive oxygen or nitrogen species in the body. These chemicals can damage cells and DNA.
10 Beet Root Powder Benefits
Beet root powder is a versatile herb that can be used in cooking to color dishes and to provide extra nutrition or taken as a supplement in a high concentration capsule. Beet root, or just beets as they are commonly called, are root vegetables that are known for their rich purple red color. That color comes from intense antioxidants and other healthy vitamins and minerals that are found in beets. Beets can be cooked a number of different ways and can be used as a side dish or eaten in salads. Beet root powder can be added to sauces, gravies, even cake mix to get a beautiful color and to add a punch of extra nutrients. Beet root is naturally sweet and beets can be used to make refined sugar. But the sweetness in beets is natural and won’t cause blood sugar spikes the way that refined sugar can. Beet root is often used in vegan cooking to provide color and sweetness. However, it doesn’t stop there, the many beet root powder benefits for overall health make it the perfect supplement to your diet. You can take beet root powder in capsule form or add some of the powder to smoothies and nutrition shakes. Beet root powder benefits include:
Lower Blood Pressure
Beet root powder contains vasodilators, which improve circulation and can lower your blood pressure. Studies that have been show that taking beet root powder or drinking beet juice can lead to substantial increase in circulation and decrease of blood pressure. If you have high blood pressure or if you have poor circulation and vein health talk to your doctor about adding beet root powder supplementation to your diet.
Increase Stamina
If you end up feeling tired halfway through a workout or if you find yourself needing a nap by the middle of the day because you are just so tired that you can’t function, taking beet root powder supplements can help you get through a tough workout or a tough day. Many athletes take beet root powder as a supplement when they are increasing their training regimens to give them additional stamina to reach their goals. You don’t have to be an athlete to feel a stamina increase from beet root powder though, it benefits everyone!
Improve Brain Health And Function
The ability of beet root powder and juice to increase blood flow and promote healthy circulation may help slow down the process of dementia and improve mental cognition in people with Alzheimer’s. As people age, their brains don’t get the steady flow of oxygen-rich blood that they need to be healthy. Taking beet root powder or drinking beet juice can increase the flow of highly oxygenated blood to the brain and improve brain function and cognition. So if you want to make sure that you are doing everything that you can to keep your brain strong and healthy as you get older, try adding beets or beet root powder to your diet.
Improve Muscle Strength
When you are working out, your muscles use nitric oxide essentially as fuel to keep going. The more nitric oxide that your muscles get, the longer your muscles can work and the stronger they will be. Beet root powder increases the amount of nitric oxide in the body which gives your muscles fuel that they need in order to work harder and get stronger. Athletes and weightlifters sometimes take beet root powder and drink beet juice in order to have the strength they need for intense workouts. Even if you are recovering from an injury or a surgery and you are going to physical therapy or if you want to take your training workouts to the next level, this supplement can help get the muscle boosting benefits of nitric oxide and better circulation.
Maintain A Healthy Weight
If you want to maintain your current weight as you get older, or if you want to lose some weight, taking beet root powder can help since it stabilizes blood sugar. When your blood sugar remains stable your body can work the way it should to convert calories into energy so that you will maintain your current weight. If you combine beet root powder with dietary changes and exercise you may be able to lose more weight than you would just from dieting and exercise because beet root powder will help your body process calories more efficiently and not store excess calories as fat.
Can Help Prevent Cancer
Purple foods, like beets, are particularly healthy because they are packed with powerful antioxidants. Foods that are purple naturally contain a very special antioxidant called anthocyanin. Anthocyanin has been linked to helping the body fight cancer, fighting dementia, fighting natural aging, and many other health problems. Taking concentrated supplements containing purple foods like beets is the best way to get the high concentration of anthocyanin necessary to see maximum health benefits.
Great Source Of Minerals
Minerals are essential for good health but must be gotten from dietary sources. Beet root powder is a great source of vitamins and essential minerals like Manganese, Folic Acid, Magnesium, Iron, and Folate. Beet root powder also has a very high concentration of Vitamin C which can provide a big boost to the immune system and help you stay healthier. When cold and flu season hits and everyone around you is sick you should still drink orange juice to get vitamin C but you should also be taking daily supplements of beet root powder.
Packed With Vitamin C
Vitamin C has a huge range of health benefits for the body, including being the best way to boost your immune system. Even though you might think of oranges when you think of vitamin C lots of fruits and vegetables have Vitamin C including beets. Beet root powder can give you a little boost of Vitamin C to kick your immune system into high gear if you already are getting sick. But if you start taking beet root powder regularly now before you are sick you may not even get sick. Everyone in your family should be taking beet root powder during the winter cold and flu season to help prevent colds and the flu from making the rounds at your house.
Natural Detoxifier
By increasing blood flow throughout the body and helping to boost liver function beet root powder is a natural detoxifier that will help keep your body running smoothly the way it’s supposed to. Increasing circulation will clear out waste from the cells and delivery oxygenated blood that will keep cells healthy. And by supporting liver function beet root powder will make the liver work more efficiently so that it will be easier for your live to filter out toxins and waste from your body. You will feel a noticeable difference in your energy levels and overall health when your liver is working as efficiently as possible.
Beet Root Powder For Cooking
As you can see beet root powder benefits are usually geared towards health and wellness. Taking beet root powder daily is a smart way to boost your overall health and energy and protect yourself from serious illnesses like cancer and Alzheimer’s Disease. But you can also add beet root powder to your cooking and get the beet root powder benefits while you enjoy some of your favorite foods. Beet root powder can be used for food coloring and can give cakes, cookies, and even breads a range of colors from pale pink to bright red. You can play with the amount of beet root powder that you add to your favorite recipes to give them the color that you want. There is no real discernable flavor to beet root powder so you don’t have to worry about your dishes tasting like beets. Beet root powder can also be used as a sweetener for smoothies and health drinks. If you don’t like the bitter taste of a vegetable juice or a vegetable smoothie but you don’t want to add sugar or honey to it because you want it to stay healthy you can add a few teaspoons of beet root powder. This will make the drink sweeter and also give you a big nutritional boost thanks to the many vitamins and minerals in beet root powder. Beet root powder is the perfect way to safely and naturally sweeten vegetable juices and health drinks that contain vegetables.
What to know about beetroot powder
Beetroot powder is a functional food containing micronutrients and phytonutrients that experts suggest may have heart, gut, and brain health benefits.
People can add beetroot powder to recipes such as sauces, smoothies, and doughs. It has a mild, slightly sweet taste that pairs well with other food.
Some individuals may experience side effects from beetroot powder when consuming excessive amounts. Beetroot powder is rich in nitrates, but high nitrate levels in the body can casue possible long-term consequences.
Read on to learn about the benefits and side effects of beetroot powder, nutrition information, dosage, how to consume it, and more.
Food manufacturers previously only used beetroot powder as a food additive. However, the different components of beetroot powder are receiving increasing attention for their biological activity.
Betalain, a plant nutrient found in beetroot powder, helps reduce oxidative and nitrative stress. Oxidative and nitrative stress comes from the presence of reactive oxygen or nitrogen species in the body. These chemicals can damage cells and DNA.
Inflammation often accompanies oxidative and nitrative stress.
When inflammation becomes chronic, people may develop long-term diseases such as obesity, autoimmune disorders, and diabetes. As an antioxidant, researchers say that antioxidants, such as betalain, search for free radicals in the body that can cause damage and counters their effects.
It also helps cells defend themselves from stressors.
Research from 2021 also suggests that the nitrates found in beetroot powder may improve athletic performance and lower muscle soreness after certain exercises.
However, not all forms of exercise benefit from nitrate-rich foods such as beetroot powder. It may benefit aerobic exercise, but researchers are still determining the exact mechanism that improves exercise performance.
Some theories suggest that beetroot powder regulates gene expression and cells’ mitochondria content and improves neuromuscular efficiency. However, further studies are needed to confirm these mechanisms.
Other benefits of beetroot powder that researchers explored in studies include :
- lowering blood pressure
- lowering blood cholesterol and fatty acids
- lowering blood sugar
- protecting liver and kidney function
- improving behavior and attention
- preventing tumor formation and growth
Further research is necessary to describe the best way to take beetroot powder for its various health benefits. However, beetroot is a generally healthy addition to a person’s diet.
The following table lists the nutritional information of 100 grams (g) of beetroot powder.
| Nutrient | Quantity per 100 g |
|---|---|
| protein | 1.68 g |
| carbohydrates | 9.96 g |
| fat | 0.18 g |
| amino acids | 1.216 g |
| fatty acids | 0.119 g |
Beetroot powder also contains biologically active plant nutrients called phytonutrients. These phytonutrients may play a role in lowering a person’s risk of chronic diseases.
Phytonutrients found in beetroot powder include:
Determining the dosage required to gain the benefits of beetroot powder is challenging. Different products suggest different doses to achieve various effects, and studies on the health benefits of beetroot powder do not specify the dosage required to achieve results.
Suggested doses usually appear on the product label.
Some products recommend 3–6 g of powder, while others suggest taking 2–3 teaspoons. On beetroot juice products — usually intended for athletes — manufacturers may suggest drinking 140 milliliters per day.
While the listed doses may be safe, researchers cannot confirm that these doses provide health benefits to everyone. Individuals should consult a healthcare professional before trying beetroot powder, especially if they take other medications or have health conditions.
The side effects of using beetroot powder are typically mild and short term. However, consuming large amounts of beetroot powder increases the risk of having side effects.
People may have red or black colored stools and pink or red urine when eating more beets or beet products. These are usual side effects and are not harmful.
While side effects are typically mild, the proposed benefits of beetroot powder are not guaranteed. Additionally, taking too much beetroot juice may increase blood levels of nitrates. This can encourage the formation of N-nitroso compounds (NOCs), which can be carcinogenic chemicals that induce additional side effects.
It is also important to note that not all antioxidants benefit health, as determined by an older, large clinical trial . With various factors to consider, it is challenging for researchers to isolate a single antioxidant component in food that provides a certain health benefit.
People concerned about the side effects of beetroot powder should speak with a doctor before deciding to supplement.
People can buy beetroot in various forms.
It comes as a powder that people can add to sauces, gravies, soups, or beverages. Adding it to fresh pasta, pizza, or bread dough can dramatically change the color while providing various possible health benefits.
Beetroot smoothies may be a suitable way to get a large dose in the morning for breakfast.
Some athletes drink beetroot juice because manufacturers market their products specifically for improving athletic performance. These commercialized products may have other ingredients that people should be aware of, such as added sugar.
Beetroot powder is a versatile food product that people can easily add to their diet.
While studies have extensively explored its benefits, it is not yet clear how beneficial beetroot powder is on chronic diseases and athletic performance. In appropriate amounts, it is a generally safe food supplement.
Researchers are still determining the mechanisms explaining the benefits of beetroot powder and the required dose to achieve these benefits.
Last medically reviewed on December 22, 2022
- Nutrition / Diet
- Complementary Medicine / Alternative Medicine
How we reviewed this article:
Medical News Today has strict sourcing guidelines and draws only from peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We avoid using tertiary references. We link primary sources — including studies, scientific references, and statistics — within each article and also list them in the resources section at the bottom of our articles. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.
- Chen, L., et al. (2021). Beetroot as a functional food with huge health benefits: Antioxidant, antitumor, physical function, and chronic metabolomics activity.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8565237/ - Clifford, T., et al. (2015). The potential benefits of red beetroot supplementation in health and disease.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4425174/ - Domínguez, R., et al. (2017). Effects of beetroot juice supplementation on cardiorespiratory endurance in athletes. A systematic review.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5295087/ - Klein, E. A., et al. (2011). Vitamin E and the risk of prostate cancer: Updated results of the selenium and vitamin E cancer prevention trial (SELECT).
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4169010/ - Stone, W. L., et al. (2022). Biochemistry, antioxidants.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK541064/ - Zamani, H., et al. (2021). The benefits and risks of beetroot juice consumption: A systematic review.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10408398.2020.1746629
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Medically reviewed by Kim Rose-Francis RDN, CDCES, CNSC, LD, Nutrition — By Jessica Caporuscio, Pharm.D. on December 22, 2022
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© 2004-2023 Healthline Media UK Ltd, Brighton, UK, a Red Ventures Company. All rights reserved. MNT is the registered trade mark of Healthline Media. Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional. See additional information.