Beetroot nitrate
Concentrated shot
Strong
Several good studies agree
Strong: umbrella reviews of dozens of RCTs; well-characterized dose–response (6–13 mmol nitrate).
It helps you go a little farther or faster on the same effort (about 1 to 3% in time trials) and nudges blood pressure down. Running the same pace at a lower heart rate is exactly what feeds your watch's fitness estimate.
Dietary nitrate from beetroot lowers the oxygen cost of exercise, so you run the same pace at a lower heart rate — which is precisely what wearables use to estimate VO₂ max. Meta-analyses show 1–3% better time-trial performance and about 4 mmHg lower systolic pressure. Largest effects in recreational athletes.
Nitrate → nitrite (oral bacteria) → nitric oxide: vasodilation and more efficient mitochondrial oxygen use.
Recreational endurance athletes 2–3 h before hard sessions. Skip antiseptic mouthwash (kills the conversion). Red urine is harmless.
What to buy
- ✓Nitrate content stated (≥6 mmol / ~400 mg per serving)
- ✓Concentrated shots (70 mL)
- ✕Beet powders that don't declare nitrate
- ✕Antiseptic mouthwash within hours of dosing
- · Red urine is harmless. Avoid antiseptic mouthwash (blocks conversion).
- · Caution with PDE5 inhibitors / hypotension.
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The dose from the performance trials, 2–3 h pre-workout.
Buy on Amazon
The best-selling beet powder, cheaper per serving than the shots. Be aware of the catch: plain beet powder rarely declares nitrate in milligrams, so you cannot verify you are getting the 400 mg the performance trials used.
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See all on AmazonEvery result, next to the line that means no effect
Each diamond is a study's best estimate. The thin line shows how sure the study was: the shorter the line, the more certain the result.
- Time-trial performance% · Umbrella 2025+2.00%+1% … +3%
- Systolic blood pressuremmHg · Umbrella 2025−4.00[not given]
Each unit gets its own scale, so numbers are never mixed on one line. When a study gave no range, we leave it blank instead of inventing one.
2 studies over 12 years
The studies
- 1.Effects of dietary nitrate supplementation on exercise performance and blood pressure: an umbrella review of meta-analysesPMC (open access) · 2025 · systematic review
Consistent improvements in endurance performance and reduced oxygen cost of submaximal exercise; ~−4 mmHg SBP.
- 2.Beetroot juice and exercise: pharmacodynamic and dose-response relationshipsJournal of Applied Physiology · 2013 · crossover · n = 10
Dose-dependent plasma nitrite rise and reduced O₂ cost at 8–17 mmol nitrate.
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