As diet plays a growing role in managing high blood pressure, beets have emerged as a leading food for lowering it. Nitrates abundant in beets are converted in the body into a compound that widens blood vessels, bringing blood pressure down.
Lauren Panoff, a U.S. dietitian, recently singled out beets as the best food for managing blood pressure, noting that blood pressure control is the starting point for preventing cardiovascular disease. Left untreated, high blood pressure raises the risk of complications such as heart disease and stroke.
The key component in beets is nitrate. In the body, nitrate is converted into nitrite and then into nitric oxide. Nitric oxide relaxes the smooth muscle in blood vessel walls, widening the vessels and easing blood flow. That reduces the pressure exerted on the vessel walls, lowering blood pressure.
Research supports the effect. According to a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials published in 2022 in the international journal Frontiers in Nutrition, patients with high blood pressure who drank nitrate-rich beet juice saw their systolic blood pressure fall by an average of 4.95 mmHg compared with a control group. There was no significant difference in diastolic blood pressure. A comprehensive review published in March 2024 in the Journal of Functional Foods analyzed data from 113 studies covering 2,013 people and found that dietary nitrate lowered both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, with the effect growing as intake duration and dosage increased.
The results are not uniform, however. A meta-analysis published in February 2023 in Food & Function reported that systolic blood pressure fell by 2.42 mmHg in healthy people but showed no significant change in patients with high blood pressure.
Beets also contain potassium, which helps the body excrete sodium and eases tension in blood vessel walls. Excessive sodium intake increases the body's fluid volume and pushes blood pressure up, but sufficient potassium intake reduces that effect.
"Beets are best eaten as part of a healthy diet that includes a variety of plant-based foods such as whole grains, nuts and fruits," Panoff said. "You also need to cut sodium intake and make sure to get potassium-rich foods." Exercise should accompany such changes.
Domestic data underscore the need for better eating habits. According to a hypertension fact sheet released by the Korean Society of Hypertension in November 2024, 11.5 million patients with high blood pressure used medical services in 2022. Among those with the condition, 77% were aware of it, 74% were receiving treatment and 59% had it under control. The World Health Organization cited South Korea as a success case in hypertension management in its 2025 global report on high blood pressure.
If blood pressure cannot be controlled through lifestyle changes alone, or if the risk of cardiovascular disease is high, patients should take blood pressure medication as determined by their doctors. Even after blood pressure returns to a normal range, medication should not be stopped without medical advice.