Beet chews are concentrated beetroot supplements designed to deliver dietary nitrate, a compound your body converts into nitric oxide to relax blood vessels, lower blood pressure, and improve oxygen efficiency during exercise. Most of the research behind them comes from studies on beetroot juice and beetroot powder, and the active ingredient is the same regardless of form: inorganic nitrate. The benefits range from measurable drops in blood pressure to longer time-to-exhaustion during workouts, with some evidence pointing toward brain health and faster recovery from hard training sessions.
How Nitrate From Beets Becomes Useful
The nitrate in beet chews does not do much on its own. It has to be converted first into nitrite, and then into nitric oxide, a molecule that signals blood vessels to widen. The first step in that conversion happens in your mouth: bacteria living on your tongue reduce nitrate to nitrite after the nitrate is concentrated in your saliva.1Academic Press. Nitric Oxide Formation From Inorganic Nitrate Once swallowed, that nitrite enters the bloodstream and gets further reduced to nitric oxide, especially in low-oxygen environments like working muscles. This pathway is completely separate from the enzyme-driven system your body already uses to make nitric oxide from the amino acid L-arginine, which means dietary nitrate effectively gives you a second route to produce it.
This matters because the enzyme-driven pathway becomes less efficient with age, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. The nitrate-nitrite-nitric oxide route essentially picks up the slack. It also explains why beet supplements tend to show stronger effects in older adults and people with health conditions than in young, elite athletes whose nitric oxide systems are already running well.
Blood Pressure
Lowering blood pressure is the most consistently demonstrated benefit of beetroot nitrate. Beetroot is recognized as a natural way to increase nitric oxide availability, and it has emerged as a strategy for managing conditions tied to reduced nitric oxide, particularly high blood pressure and poor blood vessel function.2PubMed Central. The potential benefits of red beetroot supplementation in health and disease The effect kicks in fast. In a placebo-controlled crossover trial, drinking nitrate-containing beetroot juice dropped central (aortic) systolic blood pressure by about 5 mmHg within 30 minutes.3Frontiers in Physiology. A Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Crossover Study of the Effect of Beetroot Juice Containing Dietary Nitrate on Aortic and Brachial Blood Pressure Over 24 h That might not sound dramatic, but population-level data suggest that even a few points of sustained reduction in systolic pressure meaningfully cuts the risk of stroke and heart attack over time.
The effect is not limited to a single dose. In a study tracking both acute and longer-term supplementation, blood pressure dropped by roughly 4% and stayed lower throughout a 15-day beetroot juice protocol. Plasma nitrite levels rose within a few hours of the first dose and remained elevated across the full supplementation period.4American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology. Acute and chronic effects of dietary nitrate supplementation on blood pressure and the physiological responses to moderate-intensity and incremental exercise A pilot study using beetroot powder found that while blood pressure did not drop significantly with that particular product, arterial stiffness did decrease, and higher nitrate metabolite levels in the blood correlated with lower blood pressure readings.5Rational Pharmacotherapy in Cardiology. The effect of an exogenous source of nitrate ions – beetroot powder – on blood pressure and arterial stiffness in a pilot preclinical study The inconsistency between products is worth noting and is discussed further below.
Blood Vessel Function Beyond Pressure
Blood pressure is only part of the vascular picture. Healthy blood vessels also need to be able to dilate on demand when tissues need more blood flow. In healthy older men, a single dose of dietary nitrate improved the ability of a major leg artery to dilate in response to increased blood flow, with the supplement group showing a meaningful increase in what clinicians call flow-mediated dilation compared to a placebo group that showed essentially no change.6PubMed Central. Acute Dietary Nitrate Supplementation Improves Flow Mediated Dilatation of the Superficial Femoral Artery in Healthy Older Males The nitrate group also had a reduction in a measure of arterial wave reflection, which reflects less stiffness in the arterial system. These improvements came alongside an 8.6-fold rise in plasma nitrite, confirming the supplement was doing what it was supposed to biochemically.
This is relevant if you are thinking about beet chews for general cardiovascular wellness rather than athletic performance. The ability of your arteries to flex and respond is one of the earliest things to decline in cardiovascular aging, and it predicts future problems long before blood pressure readings become alarming.
Endurance Exercise Performance
The exercise benefits are where most of the consumer interest lies, and the evidence is solid for recreational and moderately trained athletes. A systematic review of beetroot juice studies on cardiorespiratory endurance found that supplementation allowed athletes to sustain effort at submaximal intensities significantly longer. At 60% of peak power, athletes lasted about 100 seconds longer on beetroot juice compared to placebo; at 70%, roughly a minute longer; and at 80%, about 30 seconds longer.7PubMed Central. Effects of Beetroot Juice Supplementation on Cardiorespiratory Endurance in Athletes. A Systematic Review The proposed explanation is that nitrate reduces how much oxygen your muscles need at a given workload, effectively making the same effort feel a little easier and delaying the point of exhaustion.
Fitness level matters here. A study comparing runners of different aerobic fitness found that less-fit runners saw a clear reduction in oxygen cost during moderate-intensity running after consuming nitrate-rich beetroot juice, while highly fit runners did not.8PubMed Central. Nitrate-containing beetroot juice reduces oxygen consumption during submaximal exercise in low but not high aerobically fit male runners The strongest correlation between fitness level and the oxygen-saving effect appeared at moderate intensities, suggesting that beet chews are most useful for everyday exercisers rather than elite competitors. If you are already training at a very high level, your body’s existing nitric oxide machinery may already be operating near capacity.
Sprint Power and High-Intensity Efforts
The benefits are not limited to slow, steady endurance work. In a double-blind crossover study using a 30-second all-out sprint test, beetroot juice supplementation increased peak power by about 4% and mean power by about 4%, while also cutting the time to reach peak power by roughly 18%.9PubMed Central. Effects of Beetroot Juice Supplementation on Performance and Fatigue in a 30-s All-Out Sprint Exercise: A Randomized, Double-Blind Cross-Over Study Twelve of the 15 participants hit a higher peak power after beetroot juice than after placebo. In resistance exercise, supplementation increased both concentric and eccentric power output during half-squat exercise with moderate to large effect sizes.10Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. Acute beetroot juice supplementation increases lower limb concentric and eccentric power output during half-squat exercise
The mechanism likely involves nitric oxide’s role in regulating calcium handling and muscle contractile efficiency, though the exact pathways are still being worked out. For practical purposes, the takeaway is that beet chews are not just a distance-runner supplement. If your workouts include sprints, intervals, or strength training, there is plausible evidence of benefit.
Recovery After Hard Training
A systematic review of beetroot supplementation for exercise recovery found that most studies reported faster recovery of functional measures like strength and jump height, along with reduced muscle soreness, after damaging exercise bouts.11PubMed Central. Effects of Beetroot Supplementation on Recovery After Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage: A Systematic Review The results for blood markers of muscle damage and inflammation were less consistent, with most studies not finding significant improvements in those lab values. So you might feel and perform better in the days after a hard session, even if the underlying biochemical markers of tissue damage are not dramatically different. The review authors noted that longer supplementation protocols, starting several days before the exercise bout, might be needed to see those deeper changes.
Brain Health and Cognitive Function
This is where the evidence gets more interesting but less settled. A small study in older adults found that a high-nitrate diet increased blood flow to the frontal lobe white matter, particularly the regions involved in executive functioning and decision-making.12PubMed Central. Acute effect of a high nitrate diet on brain perfusion in older adults That is the part of the brain that handles planning, attention, and complex reasoning, and it is also one of the first regions to show reduced blood flow with aging. A separate clinical trial using a chewable beetroot supplement found improvements in memory consolidation, frontal lobe function, and cognitive flexibility in healthy adults, with memory recall improving by roughly 12 to 21% on specific tests.13SpringerLink (European Journal of Nutrition). Acute effects of a chewable beetroot-based supplement on cognitive performance: a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled crossover clinical trial
However, a 13-week pilot trial in overweight and obese older adults found no changes in cognitive function or overall cerebral blood flow at any nitrate dose tested.14PubMed Central. Incremental Doses of Nitrate-Rich Beetroot Juice Do Not Modify Cognitive Function and Cerebral Blood Flow in Overweight and Obese Older Adults: A 13-Week Pilot Randomised Clinical Trial The difference may come down to who is being studied and how cognitive function is measured. Acute effects on specific cognitive tasks seem real, but lasting, broad cognitive improvement from long-term supplementation remains unproven. If you are considering beet chews for brain health specifically, the honest answer is that the science is early-stage and mixed.
People With Cardiovascular Disease
Paradoxically, some of the most encouraging data come from the populations with the most to gain. A review of inorganic nitrate supplementation in clinical cardiovascular populations noted that results seem more promising in patients whose oxygen delivery systems are already impaired, including people with heart failure and peripheral artery disease.15PubMed. Dietary nitrate supplementation in cardiovascular health: an ergogenic aid or exercise therapeutic? In a trial of patients with peripheral artery disease who experienced pain when walking, combining beetroot juice with a 12-week exercise program tripled the improvement in the time before claudication pain set in, compared to exercise plus placebo. Walking distance also roughly doubled in the beetroot group versus the placebo group.16PubMed Central. Beet the Best? Dietary Inorganic Nitrate to Augment Exercise Training in Lower Extremity Peripheral Artery Disease with Intermittent Claudication
One important exception: in people with type 2 diabetes, two weeks of dietary nitrate supplementation raised plasma nitrite levels but did not lower blood pressure, improve blood vessel function, or change insulin sensitivity.17PubMed. Effect of dietary nitrate on blood pressure, endothelial function, and insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetes Diabetes involves widespread endothelial dysfunction that may blunt the downstream conversion of nitrite to nitric oxide, limiting how much benefit extra nitrate can provide. This does not mean beet chews are useless for people with diabetes, but the expectation of straightforward blood pressure reduction may not hold for this group.
Performance at Altitude
When you go to altitude, the drop in available oxygen makes everything harder. Because dietary nitrate works through an oxygen-independent pathway to produce nitric oxide, researchers have tested whether beet supplementation might partially offset the performance loss at elevation. A review of the evidence from simulated altitude studies suggested that nitrate supplementation may reduce the oxygen cost of exercise, raise arterial oxygen saturation, and improve exercise capacity in low-oxygen conditions.18PubMed Central. “Beet-ing” the Mountain: A Review of the Physiological and Performance Effects of Dietary Nitrate Supplementation at Simulated and Terrestrial Altitude One study at simulated altitudes of 3,000 and 4,300 meters found that beetroot juice improved time trial performance by about 4% at both elevations, while also raising oxygen saturation in leg muscles during exercise.19Frontiers in Physiology. Effects of Dietary Nitrate Supplementation on Physiological Responses, Cognitive Function, and Exercise Performance at Moderate and Very-High Simulated Altitude
Not every study agrees. A field study conducted at genuine high altitude found that nitrate supplementation did not change exercise efficiency or most peak exercise variables, and the nitrate group actually had slightly lower peak oxygen consumption than placebo at both sea level and altitude.20Frontiers in Physiology. Dietary Nitrate Supplementation Does Not Alter Exercise Efficiency at High Altitude – Further Results From the Xtreme Alps Study The difference between laboratory simulations and actual mountain environments, including factors like cold, dehydration, and multi-day exposure, may explain why results diverge. If you are packing beet chews for a hiking trip, they are unlikely to hurt, but the benefit at real altitude is not guaranteed.
Why Mouthwash Can Undermine Your Beet Chews
Because the first step in converting nitrate to nitrite depends on bacteria living on your tongue, anything that wipes out those bacteria also wipes out the benefit. Studies using chlorhexidine-based antibacterial mouthwash found that it reduced the conversion of nitrate to nitrite and, in some cases, was accompanied by a rise in blood pressure in people with normal readings.21Nutrition Research Reviews. The role of dietary nitrate and the oral microbiome on blood pressure and vascular tone This is not a minor interaction. If you are using a strong antibacterial mouthwash twice a day and taking beet chews for blood pressure support, the mouthwash could be neutralizing much of what the supplement is supposed to do. Non-antibacterial mouthwashes and basic oral hygiene practices that do not sterilize the tongue are not a concern.
Beeturia and Oxalate Concerns
The most noticeable side effect of regular beet consumption is beeturia, the passing of red or pink urine. It occurs in about 14% of people and is harmless. The red pigment, betalain, passes through the digestive system and is absorbed in the colon; whether it retains its color depends on individual gut chemistry and the presence of oxalic acid, which protects the pigment from being decolorized in the stomach.22QJM: An International Journal of Medicine. Beeturia and colonic oxalic acid If you see pink in the toilet after taking beet chews, it is not blood.
The oxalate content is a more substantive concern for specific people. About 80% of kidney stones are calcium oxalate stones, and beets are relatively high in oxalates. A review of the evidence noted that a significant fraction of circulating oxalates comes from diet rather than internal metabolism, and that people with a family history of kidney stones should eat high-oxalate foods in moderation, ideally with adequate calcium in the same meal to reduce oxalate absorption.23PubMed Central. Oxalates: Dietary Oxalates and Kidney Inflammation: A Literature Review Most beet chew products concentrate the nitrate but also carry along the oxalates. If you have a history of kidney stones, talk to your doctor before making beet chews a daily habit.
Product Variability Is a Real Problem
One of the less-discussed issues with beet supplements is that nitrate content varies wildly between products. An analysis of beetroot extracts and powders sold online found that nitrate concentrations ranged from 7.3 to 62.3 milligrams per gram, meaning you could get nearly nine times more nitrate from one brand than another at the same serving size. Some products delivered doses that exceeded European regulatory thresholds for acceptable daily intake.24Applied Food Research. Betacyanins, nitrates and the issue of standardization in red beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.) extracts and powders sold online The study highlighted a lack of consistency across the industry and a need for better standardization at every stage of manufacturing.
What this means for you is that the dose printed on a beet chew label may not reflect what is actually in the product. If you are choosing a product, look for brands that list the nitrate content per serving in milligrams rather than just “beetroot extract” with no potency information. Most of the positive research uses doses delivering roughly 5 to 8 millimoles of nitrate, which translates to about 300 to 500 milligrams. Products that do not specify nitrate content leave you guessing. Third-party testing certifications help, though they are not universal in this product category.
Timing and How Long Effects Last
Plasma nitrite levels peak roughly two to three hours after a dose of beetroot nitrate. This is why most exercise studies instruct participants to take their supplement about two and a half hours before testing. The blood pressure reduction follows a similar timeline, appearing within 30 minutes and remaining present for several hours.3Frontiers in Physiology. A Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Crossover Study of the Effect of Beetroot Juice Containing Dietary Nitrate on Aortic and Brachial Blood Pressure Over 24 h Longer-term supplementation does not appear to produce tolerance. In the study tracking supplementation over 15 days, the oxygen-cost reduction during moderate exercise was similar at day one, day five, and day fifteen, and blood pressure stayed lower throughout.4American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology. Acute and chronic effects of dietary nitrate supplementation on blood pressure and the physiological responses to moderate-intensity and incremental exercise
For exercise purposes, taking a beet chew about two to three hours before your workout aligns with the pharmacokinetic window. For blood pressure management, a daily dose at a consistent time is more practical than trying to time peaks. There is no evidence that cycling on and off beet supplements is necessary, and no sign that the benefits wear out with continuous use.