Study links beetroot juice to improved blood vessel function in postmenopausal women

After women go through menopause, their risk of heart disease increases dramatically. To improve and support heart and blood vessel health among postmenopausal women, researchers at Penn State studied whether beetroot juice can improve blood vessel function.

The study published in Frontiers in Nutrition indicated that daily consumption of beetroot juice by postmenopausal women may improve blood vessel function enough to reduce future heart disease risk.

Beetroot juice contains high levels of nitrate, which the body converts to nitric oxide. Nitric oxide helps blood vessels expand, making it easier for blood to flow through the circulatory system/ According to the researchers, the ability of nitric oxide to widen blood vessels is known to be particularly helpful during periods of limited blood flow and oxygen delivery, such as during a heart attack.

The study included women considered early postmenopausal, or one to six years post-menopause, and late postmenopausal, six or more years post-menopause.

Participants first had their vascular function tested before consuming two 2.3-ounce bottles of beetroot juice, followed by one bottle each morning for a week. This beetroot juice provided nitrates equivalent to three large beets. After a few weeks, participants drank beetroot juice with the nitrates removed.

Following the final dose, participants underwent another vascular function test. Researchers used an ultrasound to monitor blood flow in the brachial artery before and after a five-minute forearm blood flow restriction. They compared blood vessel expansion when participants consumed nitrate-rich beetroot juice versus the nitrate-free version.

The results indicated that daily consumption of nitrate-rich beetroot juice enhanced blood flow compared to the nitrate-free version. Sustaining this improved blood vessel function over postmenopausal years could significantly lower the risk of heart disease. Furthermore, late postmenopausal women saw the same benefits as the early postmenopausal group.

“Women may need to consume beetroot juice daily — or even more often — to experience all of the potential cardiovascular benefits. Still, this research shows that beetroot juice can be very useful in protecting blood vessel health of mid-life women during a period of accelerating heart disease risk,” said David Proctor, professor of kinesiology and physiology at Penn State.

Reference: Delgado Spicuzza JM, Gosalia J, Zhong L, Bondonno C, Petersen KS, De Souza MJ, Alipour E, Kim-Shapiro DB, Somani YB and Proctor DN (2024) Seven-day dietary nitrate supplementation clinically significantly improves basal macrovascular function in postmenopausal women: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover clinical trial. Front. Nutr. 11:1359671. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1359671