Dietary Nitrate in Beets and Leafy Greens
What dietary nitrate is, which vegetables contain it, and what trials and cohort studies found for blood pressure, with low certainty and mixed results.
Content last updated . This page has not been medically reviewed.
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Short answer: Dietary nitrate is a natural compound found in vegetables such as beetroot (Beta vulgaris) and leafy greens such as spinach (Spinacia oleracea) and arugula (Eruca vesicaria). [1] Results for blood pressure are mixed: some trials found a small drop in systolic pressure, and others found none in people with hypertension.
What the sources found
| Question | What the source found | Strength of evidence | Population and form |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beet juice and blood pressure in hypertension | Meta-analysis of 11 trials (349 patients): clinic systolic pressure was 5.31 mmHg lower than with placebo; no significant effect on diastolic or 24-hour pressure. [2] | Promising but limited (the authors rate certainty low) | Adults with hypertension, beet juice with 200 to 800 mg nitrate a day in the trials |
| Dietary nitrate in general | Meta-analysis of 19 articles: systolic pressure fell by 2.42 mmHg in healthy people; no significant fall in people with hypertension. [3] | Mixed | Healthy adults and adults with hypertension, inorganic nitrate |
| Nitrate from vegetables over years | In the Nurses' Health Study, each extra 150 mg a day of dietary nitrate and each daily serving of green leafy vegetables was linked to a hazard ratio of 0.97 for hypertension. The link was weaker where air pollution was higher. [4] | Observational only | Women followed over time |
The first two findings disagree for people with hypertension, which is why this page labels the evidence as mixed. Beet juice is a concentrated form. A cohort link for whole vegetables does not prove that nitrate is the reason, since vegetable eaters differ in other ways.
What is not covered
- Exercise performance. We did not read sources on this, so it is not described here.
- Nitrate in processed meats or water. Not covered by the sources read for this page.
- Medicines. The sources we read did not describe medicine interactions for beet juice or nitrate. If you take blood pressure medicines, or other medicines, ask a pharmacist. See How Interactions Work.
Frequently asked questions
Does beet juice lower blood pressure?
In a meta-analysis of trials in adults with hypertension, beet juice lowered clinic systolic pressure by 5.31 mmHg, with low certainty. [2] Another review found no lowering of pressure from inorganic nitrate in hypertensive adults. [3]
Is the nitrate in vegetables harmful?
The sources we read for this page did not address harms of vegetable nitrate, so we do not state a conclusion either way.
Are leafy greens as good as beet juice?
Proper evidence not found. We searched PubMed for dietary nitrate and leafy vegetable trials; the pieces we read are a cohort study and two meta-analyses that do not compare them directly.
Why do the studies disagree?
They differ in population (healthy or hypertensive), form (juice or other nitrate), blood-pressure measure and certainty. [2][3]
Can I replace my blood pressure medicine with beets?
No source we read supports that. Ask the prescriber or pharmacist before changing any prescribed medicine.
More details: evidence, limits and cautions
The details behind this page: cautions, limits of the evidence and where sources disagree. Open any note to read it.
Safety and cautions
Beets and leafy greens have food-specific points: leafy greens contain vitamin K, relevant for people on warfarin (see leafy greens), and people with kidney conditions can read the kidney, potassium and oxalates page. The nitrate studies we read did not report on kidney safety, so this is not described here. Do not stop or change a prescribed blood pressure medicine because of a food; ask the prescriber.
For the food itself, see beetroot and beet juice and foods for blood pressure.
References
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) Backbone Taxonomy, accepted names: Beta vulgaris, Spinacia oleracea, Eruca vesicaria. Checked 2026-10-24.
- Effects of beetroot juice on blood pressure in hypertension according to European Society of Hypertension Guidelines: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis 2024. PMID 39069465. Read 2026-10-23.
- Regulatory effect of dietary nitrate on blood pressure: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Food Funct 2023. PMID 36740972. Read 2026-10-23.
- Dietary nitrate intake and vegetable consumption, ambient particulate matter, and risk of hypertension in the Nurses' Health study. Environ Int 2022. PMID 35066305. Read 2026-10-23.