Beet Juice May Lower Blood Pressure in Older Adults Within Two Weeks: Study

Your mouth may be doing far more for your heart than you realize. Scientists have discovered that the bacteria living on your tongue and gums could influence how well your body controls blood pressure - and beetroot juice appears to help.

A new study from the University of Exeter found that older adults who drank nitrate-rich beetroot juice twice daily for two weeks experienced a noticeable drop in blood pressure. Surprisingly, the benefit seemed to come not just from the beetroot itself, but from the way it changed the balance of bacteria in the mouth.

Researchers say certain oral bacteria help convert dietary nitrate into nitric oxide, a molecule that relaxes blood vessels and improves circulation. Nitric oxide production naturally declines with age, which may partly explain why blood pressure often rises in older adults.

The study included adults under 30 and adults in their 60s and 70s. Participants drank either nitrate-rich beetroot juice or a placebo version with the nitrate removed. Scientists then analyzed changes in the oral microbiome — the community of bacteria living in the mouth.

In older adults, beetroot juice increased levels of beneficial bacteria while reducing potentially harmful bacteria. At the same time, blood pressure dropped significantly. Younger adults also showed microbiome changes, but they did not experience the same blood pressure benefit.

Researchers believe the findings highlight how closely nutrition, oral health, and cardiovascular function are connected. The mouth acts as the first step in a chain reaction that allows nitrate-rich foods to support nitric oxide production throughout the body.

Beetroot is one of the richest dietary sources of nitrate, but other vegetables like spinach, arugula, kale, celery, and fennel also contain high amounts.

Scientists caution that beetroot juice is not a replacement for blood pressure medication. The studies are still relatively small, and more research is needed to understand why some people respond more strongly than others.

Still, the research points to a fascinating possibility: healthier blood vessels may begin with healthier mouth bacteria.

RESEARCH: Anni Vanhatalo, Joanna E. L\'Heureux, Matthew I. Black, Jamie R. Blackwell, Kuni Aizawa, Christopher Thompson, David W. Williams, Mark van der Giezen, Paul G. Winyard, Andrew M. Jones. Ageing modifies the oral microbiome, nitric oxide bioavailability and vascular responses to dietary nitrate supplementation. Free Radical Biology and Medicine, 2025; 238: 682 DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2025.07.002