SuperBeets delivers real nitrates from beetroot, but at a dose that falls short of what most research links to meaningful health benefits. A single 5-gram scoop contains about 1 mmol of nitrate, while studies consistently show you need at least 5 mmol to see improvements in blood pressure or exercise performance. That gap matters more than the marketing suggests.
What SuperBeets Actually Contains
Each teaspoon of SuperBeets powder has 15 calories and 4 grams of carbohydrates. The manufacturer claims one scoop delivers the nitric oxide equivalent of three whole beets, but no quantifiable measurement backs that up. Independent lab testing published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism measured SuperBeets at roughly 1.03 mmol of nitrate per serving. That’s about one-fifth the minimum dose researchers consider effective for performance or blood pressure benefits.
On the positive side, SuperBeets is listed in the NSF Certified for Sport directory, meaning it’s been independently tested for banned substances and contaminants. That’s a genuine mark of quality that many competing beet supplements lack.
How Beetroot Nitrates Work in Your Body
The active ingredient in any beet product is inorganic nitrate. When you consume it, bacteria on your tongue convert about 25% of the nitrate into nitrite. Once that nitrite reaches your stomach, some of it converts further into nitric oxide, a molecule that relaxes and widens blood vessels. The remaining nitrite gets absorbed through your gut and enters your bloodstream, where it continues raising nitric oxide levels for several hours.
This pathway is entirely separate from the way your body normally produces nitric oxide through an enzyme in blood vessel walls. That enzyme depends on estrogen, which is one reason postmenopausal women often experience stiffer blood vessels and higher blood pressure. Dietary nitrate from beets essentially offers a backup route to produce nitric oxide, regardless of age or hormone status.
Blood Pressure Effects
Beetroot nitrate has genuine research supporting modest blood pressure reduction, but the dose has to be high enough. In the same lab study that measured SuperBeets’ nitrate content, the product did not produce a significant reduction in either systolic or mean arterial blood pressure. The researchers attributed this directly to the low nitrate dose: roughly 1 mmol compared to the 6 mmol found in more concentrated beet juice products that did lower blood pressure in the same trial.
So while beet-derived nitrate can lower blood pressure in principle, a single scoop of SuperBeets likely doesn’t deliver enough to make a noticeable difference. You could take multiple scoops to get closer to effective levels, but that raises the cost significantly and isn’t how the product is marketed.
Exercise Performance Benefits
A large umbrella review covering multiple meta-analyses found that beetroot juice does improve endurance, but the effects are small and depend heavily on dose and fitness level. Time to exhaustion during exercise improved by a small but statistically significant margin. Aerobic endurance improved in recreational exercisers but showed no measurable benefit in professional athletes, whose bodies are already highly efficient at oxygen use.
The review recommended a nitrate intake of 515 to 1,017 mg per day (roughly 8 to 16 mmol) for performance benefits, taken either 2 to 3 hours before exercise or consistently over multiple days. SuperBeets at 1 mmol per serving falls well below that threshold. To reach the lower end of the effective range, you’d need eight or more scoops daily.
Even at optimal doses, the performance gains are modest. VO2 max improved with statistical significance in healthy adults, but the actual effect size was negligible. The most reliable benefit was extending time to exhaustion during sustained effort, which matters more for endurance sports like cycling or distance running than for strength training or short sprints.
SuperBeets vs. Whole Beets and Beet Juice
The core issue with SuperBeets isn’t whether beetroot nitrate works. It’s whether this particular product delivers enough of it. Concentrated beet juice products tested in the same study consistently provided 5 to 6 mmol of nitrate per serving and produced measurable drops in blood pressure. SuperBeets, at about 1 mmol, did not.
A cup of raw beet juice typically contains 3 to 6 mmol of nitrate depending on growing conditions, making it a cheaper and more potent option. Whole cooked beets provide nitrate too, though the concentration varies. Two medium beets give you roughly 3 to 4 mmol. Either option gets you closer to the effective range at a fraction of the per-serving cost of SuperBeets.
Side Effects and Safety Concerns
SuperBeets is safe for most people at standard doses, but there are a few things worth knowing. Beets are high in oxalates, compounds that can contribute to kidney stone formation. If you have a history of calcium oxalate kidney stones, concentrated beet products may not be a good choice. People with existing kidney disease should also be cautious, as high beet intake could worsen their condition.
Because beet nitrate lowers blood pressure through the same general mechanism as certain heart medications, combining the two could cause an excessive drop. If you take medication for blood pressure, the interaction is worth discussing before adding a nitrate supplement.
One harmless but startling effect: about 10 to 14% of people experience beeturia, where urine or stool turns red or pink after eating beets. This happens because a pigment called betanin passes through the digestive system without being fully broken down. It’s completely benign and typically more noticeable when stomach acid levels are low, allowing more pigment to reach the colon intact.
Is It Worth the Price?
SuperBeets is a legitimate beet product with third-party certification, but its nitrate content sits well below the dose that clinical research links to blood pressure or performance benefits. You’re paying a premium for convenience and branding while getting roughly one-fifth the nitrate found in a glass of concentrated beet juice.
If you enjoy the taste and find the powder format convenient, it won’t harm you, and you’ll get a small amount of dietary nitrate. But if your goal is measurably lower blood pressure or better endurance, whole beets or concentrated beet juice deliver more nitrate for less money. The science behind beetroot nitrate is real. The question is whether this particular product gives you enough of it to matter.