What does beetroot do for men?
Mostly, it lowers blood pressure a few points. It may add a little stamina. No trial has shown it helps erections. Many powders hold too little nitrate, and mouthwash may blunt the effect.
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What are the benefits of beetroot for men?
The best evidence is for blood pressure. A UK trial tested it in 68 people with high blood pressure. A glass of beetroot juice a day cut the top number by 7.7 points after 4 weeks.
The work is done by nitrate, a natural chemical in beetroot. Your body turns some of it into a gas that relaxes blood vessels.
| Claim | What trials found | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Lower blood pressure | Top number down 4.4 in short trials, 7.7 over 4 weeks. | Yes, a few points. |
| More stamina | Small gain in lasting longer. Little help in races. | Small, and only with enough nitrate. |
| Better erections | A trial was registered. No results are posted. | Not known. |
| More testosterone | No trial found. | No evidence. |
Sources: Kapil 2015; Siervo 2013; McMahon 2017; ClinicalTrials.gov
So treat beetroot as a useful vegetable, not a cure. Start by finding out your own blood pressure at a pharmacy or with a home monitor.
How much does beetroot lower blood pressure?
By about 4 to 8 points on the top number (systolic). Points are mmHg, the unit on your monitor.
Sources: Siervo 2013; Kapil 2015
Say a nurse reads you at 150. A fall like the trial average takes you to about 142. That’s still above the NHS line for high blood pressure, 140/90 or higher when checked by a professional.
Now the mouthwash. Bacteria on your tongue do the first step, turning nitrate into nitrite, the step before the gas. When that step was blocked, it stopped the blood pressure drop.
In two studies, antiseptic mouthwash raised blood pressure 2 to 3.5 points in healthy people and 2.3 in people treated for high blood pressure. Neither study gave beetroot, but daily antiseptic mouthwash may blunt what beetroot does.
Comparing it with garlic, magnesium and fish oil? See supplements to lower blood pressure.
Does beetroot boost stamina?
A little. Across 76 trials in healthy adults, nitrate helped people last longer before they had to stop. It was less likely to help in timed races.
Think of it as going further at a set pace, not going faster over a set distance.
How 10 healthy men took it in a dose trial
- 1
Dose
140 ml of beetroot concentrate, with 8.4 mmol of nitrate (mmol is a unit for measuring an amount of a chemical).
- 2
Timing
Drunk 2.5 hours before cycling.
- 3
Result
They cycled 14% longer before they had to stop.
- 4
Limits
70 ml did nothing. Twice the dose added nothing more.
Source: Wylie 2013
That was a small trial of healthy men on a bike. If you try it, test it in training first, taken 2 to 3 hours before.
Does beetroot help erections or testosterone?
Nobody knows yet. A German trial was registered to test nitrate in men with erection problems. Its own record says whether it helps is not known, and no results are posted.
The link people make is blood flow. The NHS lists high blood pressure as one condition that may cause erection problems when they happen often. More on that in blood pressure and erections.
We found no trial of beetroot and testosterone. For foods with better evidence, see foods that affect testosterone.
If erections keep failing, the NHS says they might be a sign of a condition that can be treated. See blood tests for erection problems.
Is beetroot powder as good as juice?
Often not, in the one study that measured them. A lab checked 24 beetroot products sold to athletes, including 6 powders. Nitrate per serving varied about 50-fold.
Sources: Gallardo 2019; Kapil 2015
These were US products bought in 2017 and 2018. Only 5 of the 24 reliably gave 5 mmol or more, so check a label lists nitrate per serving before you pay for it.
Beetroot can turn your pee pink, the NHS says. In the trial, coloured pee and poo were expected side effects.
Beetroot also contains oxalate, a natural chemical that can help form some kidney stones. The trial team says people prone to oxalate kidney stones may need to avoid it.
How to try beetroot sensibly
- Have beetroot as one of your 5 A Day. A portion of cooked vegetables is 3 heaped tablespoons.
- Keep juice and smoothies to 150 ml a day in total, the NHS 5 A Day limit.
- Add other nitrate-rich vegetables, such as spinach, celery and kale.
- Check your blood pressure at home before you start and after 4 weeks, on the same monitor.
- If you’ve had kidney stones, ask your GP before having beetroot every day.
- On blood pressure tablets? Keep taking them. Never stop or change a prescribed medicine without your prescriber.
Sources: NHS 5 A Day; BHF; Kapil 2015; NHS
The trial used 250 ml a day, more than the NHS juice limit. Whole beetroot avoids the problem.
When to speak to a GP
High blood pressure does not usually cause symptoms. Book an appointment if:
- Erection problems keep happening. A sexual health clinic can help too.
- Your reading is 140/90 or higher when checked by a professional, or 135/85 or higher at home.
- You’re 40 or over and haven’t had your blood pressure checked for more than 5 years. Many pharmacies check it free.
- Your pee is pink, red or dark brown and you haven’t eaten beetroot. The NHS says ask for an urgent GP appointment or call 111.
Get help from NHS 111 if you often have headaches or blurred vision, or chest pain that comes and goes. The same goes for other symptoms you’re worried could be from high blood pressure.
Call 999 for sudden chest pain or discomfort that doesn’t go away, or pain that spreads to your arm, neck, jaw, stomach or back. Call too for chest pain with sweating, feeling sick, light-headed or short of breath. See also normal blood pressure.