Does beetroot juice give you more energy?

Not in any way anyone has measured as a feeling. We found no trial of beetroot juice that measured energy, vitality or tiredness in everyday life. What has been measured is stamina in exercise. An umbrella review pooling 20 meta-analyses of 180 studies found nitrate lengthened time to exhaustion by a small standardized effect of 0.33 (95% CI 0.19 to 0.47), larger at 6 mmol or more a day (372 mg) taken for over 3 days, though most of the reviews it pooled were rated low or critically low quality. In trials of sprints and of exercise at altitude, effort did not feel any easier, and in trials of cognition, thinking did not get sharper.

Unsettled. Lasting a little longer on a bike or treadmill is the closest thing to more energy that the trials show. It is a small effect, measured in healthy and trained volunteers, and it says nothing about whether you feel less tired at work or in the afternoon. That question has not been asked in a trial.

What the trials found

Stamina and the oxygen cost of work

Established. In healthy people, dietary nitrate makes moderate exercise cost slightly less oxygen. A 2016 meta-analysis of 26 placebo-controlled randomized trials found a small standardized effect of minus 0.26 (95% CI minus 0.38 to minus 0.15). In the subgroup with chronic disease it was minus 0.09 and not significant. A trend at rest did not reach significance.

Longer time to exhaustion is the most consistent performance result. A 2017 meta-analysis of 76 trials found the same effect size of 0.33 for time to exhaustion, and no significant improvement in time trials, which are the format closest to a race. A 2020 meta-analysis of 80 crossover trials found an overall effect of 0.17 on exercise performance, with no measurable benefit in well-trained endurance athletes or in studies of women only. The trials were mostly in young, recreationally active men.

How hard it feels

A 2026 meta-analysis of 23 randomized trials in 401 healthy adults aged 18 to 40 found beetroot juice did not change perceived exertion, heart rate or blood lactate during sprint exercise, on mostly low-certainty evidence. At high altitude, a 2025 meta-analysis of 9 trials in 161 people found no significant change in perceived exertion (standardized effect minus 0.16, 95% CI minus 0.49 to 0.18), heart rate, oxygen saturation or maximal oxygen uptake.

Myth. Beetroot juice does not sharpen the mind. A 2019 meta-analysis of 13 randomized trials in 297 adults found nitrate or nitrite supplements had no effect on cognitive function (0.06, 95% CI minus 0.06 to 0.18). The trials were small and short. In a 13-week pilot trial of 62 overweight or obese adults aged 60 to 75, beetroot juice at any of three doses left cognitive function unchanged.

People with lung disease

This is where the stamina result may matter in daily life. A 2024 meta-analysis of 11 studies in 287 people with COPD found nitrate improved exercise capacity by a small standardized effect of 0.38 (95% CI 0.04 to 0.72) and relieved breathlessness. A 2021 meta-analysis of 11 trials in 282 people with chronic respiratory disease saw no effect in short-term studies (0.08) and an effect of 0.47 only alongside pulmonary rehabilitation, a result that rests largely on one trial of 122 people.

Who should be careful

Not for everyone. The doses linked to the larger stamina effect sit above the acceptable daily intake for nitrate. EFSA sets the acceptable daily intake at 3.7 mg per kg of body weight, about 260 mg for a 154 lb (70 kg) adult, while the umbrella review found the larger effect at 372 mg a day or more. A review of beetroot juice risks notes that drinking enough to move blood pressure can push nitrate past that limit, and that data on what this does are limited.

Antibacterial mouthwash can switch the effect off. In a randomized crossover study of 12 healthy adults drinking 2.4 fl oz (70 mL) of beetroot juice twice a day for 6 days, both strong and weak antibacterial mouthwashes suppressed the rise in blood nitrite that nitrate depends on, and the strong one changed the blood pressure response to light exercise. If you use an antibacterial mouthwash, such as chlorhexidine, the juice may not raise blood nitrite the way it otherwise would.

The International Olympic Committee consensus says nitrate has few side effects but concentrated doses can upset the gut in susceptible athletes, and should be tried in training first. It gives no figure for how often. In a kinetics study of 15 people on dialysis, a single dose raised blood nitrate higher than in healthy people while leaving blood pressure and potassium unchanged. If your kidneys do not work normally, ask the team treating you before drinking it regularly.

What expert bodies say

No expert body we found addresses beetroot juice and energy or fatigue. The 2018 International Olympic Committee consensus lists nitrate among the few supplements with good evidence of a performance benefit, with responses that vary widely between people. EFSA's acceptable daily intake for nitrate is the limit that applies to everyone else.

If energy for you means calories and sugar, the composition of the drink is on the beetroot juice page.

How we searched

What would change this answer

• A blinded randomized trial in people who are not athletes, measuring daily fatigue or vigor on a validated scale over several weeks, with nitrate-rich juice against nitrate-depleted juice.
• Better-quality reviews of time to exhaustion, since most of the ones pooled in the umbrella review were rated low or critically low.
• Larger trials in COPD outside rehabilitation, to show whether the gain in exercise capacity holds without one large trial carrying it.

Sources

1. ev-bjen-01 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · umbrella review with meta-analysis · n = 180 primary studies, 2672 participants
   It improved time-to-exhaustion tasks [standardized mean difference (SMD): 0.33; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.19-0.47] with subgroup analyses indicating more pronounced improvements when a minimum dose of 6 mmoL/day (372 mg/day) and chronic (> 3 days) supplementation protocol was implemented.
   
   Who: healthy and trained people in placebo-controlled nitrate studies, 20 systematic reviews with meta-analyses
   Effect: time to exhaustion SMD 0.33 (95% CI 0.19 to 0.47); larger with >= 6 mmol/day (372 mg) for > 3 days
   Certainty: AMSTAR-2 of most reviews is low or critically low. Time to exhaustion is the closest measure of "more strength", but not the feeling of energy.
   Sports Med, 2025 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
2. ev-bjen-02 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs · n = 26 RCTs in meta-analysis
   Dietary NO3(-) supplementation significantly decreases VO2 during submaximal intensity exercise [-0.26 (95% IC: -0.38, -0.15), p < 0.01], but not in the sub-analysis of subjects with chronic diseases [-0.09 (95% IC: -0.50, 0.32), p = 0.67].
   
   Who: healthy humans and people with cardiorespiratory disease in RCTs of dietary nitrate vs placebo
   Effect: VO2 during submaximal exercise SMD -0.26 (95% CI -0.38 to -0.15); chronic disease subgroup -0.09 (-0.50 to 0.32), not significant
   Certainty: Lower oxygen cost is the mechanism of "more economical" muscle work; effect at rest not shown (trend p = 0.10).
   Nitric Oxide, 2016 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
3. ev-bjen-03 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs · n = 23 RCTs, 401 participants
   No significant effects were observed for countermovement jump, peak or mean power, 10 m or 20 m sprint performance, perceived exertion, heart rate, or blood lactate.
   
   Who: healthy adults aged 18-40 in RCTs of beetroot juice vs placebo or control, sprint and repeated-sprint exercise
   Effect: no significant effect on perceived exertion, heart rate, blood lactate, jump or sprint times; time to peak power SMD -0.92; handgrip SMD 0.40
   Certainty: GRADE low for most endpoints; short sprints only, not endurance.
   Nutrients, 2026 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
4. ev-bjen-04 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs · n = 9 studies, 161 participants
   However, there was no significant effect observed on VO2max (95% CI: -0.58 to 0.23; SMD = -0.17, P = 0.76; I2 = 0%), HR (95% CI: -0.31 to 0.23; SMD = -0.04, P = 0.77; I2 = 0%), RPE scores (95% CI: -0.49 to 0.18; SMD = -0.16, P = 0.36; I2 = 0%), and SpO2 percentage (95% CI: -0.36 to 0.20; SMD = -0.08, P = 0.58; I2 = 0%).
   
   Who: healthy individuals aged 16 or over doing endurance activity at high altitude
   Effect: RPE SMD -0.16 (95% CI -0.49 to 0.18); VO2max SMD -0.17 (-0.58 to 0.23); nitrite rose SMD 2.25
   Certainty: Altitude is a special context; blood nitrite rose, but perceived exertion did not.
   PLoS One, 2025 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
5. ev-bjen-05 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs · n = 13 trials, 297 participants
   Nitrate/nitrite supplementation did not influence CF (SMD +0.06, 95% CI: -0.06, 0.18, P = 0.32) or CBF under resting (SMD +0.14, 95% CI: -0.13, 0.41, P = 0.31), or stimulated conditions (SMD + 0.23, 95% CI: -0.11, 0.56, P = 0.19).
   
   Who: adults over 18 in randomized trials of inorganic nitrate or nitrite vs control
   Effect: cognitive function SMD +0.06 (95% CI -0.06 to 0.18), P = 0.32
   Certainty: Small studies (median 23 people), short; "mental energy" was not measured separately.
   Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr, 2019 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
6. ev-bjen-06 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · randomized single-blind parallel pilot trial · n = 62
   The findings of this pilot study showed that cognitive function and CBF were not affected by supplementation with NO3--rich beetroot juice for 13 weeks, irrespective of the NO3- dose administered.
   
   Who: overweight and obese older participants aged 60-75, 2.4 fl oz (70 mL) beetroot juice on alternate days, daily or twice daily, or nitrate-depleted placebo
   Effect: no effect on cognitive function or cerebral blood flow at any dose
   Certainty: Pilot, single-blind; effect size not given in the abstract.
   Nutrients, 2022 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
7. ev-bjen-07 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis · n = 11 studies, 287 patients
   Nitrate improved exercise capacity [SMD = 0.38, 95 % CI = 0.04-0.72] and endothelial function [MD = 9.41, 95 % CI = 5.30-13.52], and relieved dyspnea in patients with COPD.
   
   Who: patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in trials of dietary nitrate
   Effect: exercise capacity SMD 0.38 (95% CI 0.04 to 0.72); endothelial function MD 9.41 (5.30 to 13.52)
   Certainty: Another MA (34489239) sees no effect in short-term studies; see ev-bjen-08.
   Respir Med, 2024 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
8. ev-bjen-08 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis · n = 11 trials, 282 participants
   It was associated with increased walk distance in the context of pulmonary rehabilitation (standardised mean difference (95% CI), 0.47 (0.11 to 0.83), p=0.01), but no effect was identified in short-term studies (0.08 (-0.32 to 0.49).
   
   Who: people with chronic respiratory conditions in 2 RCTs and 9 crossover trials of dietary nitrate
   Effect: walk distance SMD 0.47 (95% CI 0.11 to 0.83) with pulmonary rehabilitation; short-term studies 0.08 (-0.32 to 0.49)
   Certainty: The effect with rehabilitation rests on one largest RCT (n = 122).
   BMJ Open Respir Res, 2021 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
9. ev-bjen-09 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · randomized crossover trial · n = 12
   The results indicate that both strong and weak antibacterial agents suppress the rise in plasma [NO2-] observed following the consumption of a high NO3- diet and the former can influence the BP response during low-intensity exercise.
   
   Who: 12 healthy volunteers, 2.4 fl oz (70 mL) beetroot juice (6.2 mmol nitrate) twice a day for 6 days, chlorhexidine or non-chlorhexidine mouthwash or water 3 times a day
   Effect: plasma nitrite rise at 2 h lower with strong mouthwash vs water by 200 +/- 174 nM; exercise blood pressure rose more with chlorhexidine
   Certainty: An interaction, not harm: an antiseptic mouthwash (chlorhexidine and weaker ones) can cancel the effect of nitrate.
   Int J Sports Med, 2015 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
10. ev-bjen-10 · Position of an expert body · agency statement · n = —
    The current acceptable daily intake (ADI) for nitrates is 3.7 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day (mg/kg bw/day).
    
    Who: general population
    Effect: ADI 3.7 mg/kg bw/day for nitrate
    Certainty: For 154 lb (70 kg) this is ≈260 mg of nitrate; doses that extend endurance (≥372 mg/day, ev-bjen-01) are already higher than the ADI.
    EFSA, 2017, news: EFSA confirms safe levels for nitrites and nitrates added to food (re-evaluation of E 249-252) · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the section
11. bjc-dr-06 · Observational data · systematic review of the benefits and risks of beetroot juice consumption · n = —
    Compared to studies on the beneficial effects, the amount of data and literature on the negative effects of BRJ is rather limited, and should be increased in order to perform a balanced risk assessment.
    
    Who: published literature on beetroot juice, nitrate and nitric oxide
    Effect: beetroot juice can readily raise nitrate intake above the acceptable daily intake, which stimulates endogenous formation of N-nitroso compounds, a class known to be carcinogenic and linked to other adverse effects; the authors record that literature on the negative effects is limited compared with that on benefits
    Certainty: this is a review rather than a measurement, and it names no threshold in milliliters. Endogenous N-nitroso formation from dietary nitrate is a mechanism, and the epidemiology of vegetable nitrate has repeatedly failed to show the harm the mechanism predicts. The useful part is the admission that a balanced risk assessment cannot currently be made
    Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr, 2021 · checked 2026-09-22 · we read the abstract
12. bjc-dr-08 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · single-center randomized single-blind placebo-controlled crossover study, one dose of 2.4 fl oz (70 mL) concentrated beetroot juice with 400 mg nitrate against a nitrate-free placebo juice in random order, separated by a 7-day washout, with blood sampled up to 44 hours after intake · n = 15
    The area under the curve and the maximal concentration of plasma nitrate, but not of nitrite, were significantly higher in HD patients as compared with HV. In both groups, active BJ ingestion did not affect blood pressure or plasma potassium levels.
    
    Who: 8 adults on chronic hemodialysis and 7 age-matched healthy volunteers
    Effect: active juice raised plasma nitrate and nitrite in both groups; area under the curve and peak concentration of nitrate, though not nitrite, were significantly higher in dialysis patients than in healthy volunteers; blood pressure and plasma potassium were unaffected in both groups and no adverse events occurred
    Certainty: fifteen people in a kinetics study, designed to inform later efficacy trials rather than to show benefit. The higher nitrate exposure in dialysis patients is the point that matters clinically: the same dose lands harder when the kidneys are not clearing it. Potassium not moving after a single dose says nothing about repeated use, and anyone on dialysis takes this question to their nephrologist
    Nutrients, 2022 · checked 2026-09-22 · we read the abstract
13. ev-bjap-01 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and random-effects meta-analysis of randomized crossover placebo-controlled trials · n = 80 studies
    Random-effects meta-analysis demonstrated that exercise performance improved with NO3 supplementation compared with placebo (d = 0.174; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.120-0.229; P < 0.001).
    
    Who: Young healthy adults in randomized crossover placebo-controlled trials of nitrate
    Effect: overall d = 0.174 (95% CI 0.120 to 0.229); well-trained (VO2max at least 65 mL/kg/min, 26 studies) d = 0.021 (95% CI -0.103 to 0.144); women only (6 studies) d = 0.116 (95% CI -0.126 to 0.358)
    Certainty: Large evidence base, but the overall effect is small and the studies are mostly in young recreationally active men.
    Med Sci Sports Exerc, 2020 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
14. ev-bjap-03 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and fixed-effects meta-analysis with meta-regression · n = 76 trials
    TTE trials had a small to moderate statistically significant effect in favour of dietary NO3- supplementation (ES = 0.33, 95 % Cl = 0.15-0.50, p < 0.01).
    
    Who: Adults in placebo-controlled trials of nitrate with exercise lasting at least 30 seconds
    Effect: time to exhaustion ES 0.33 (95% CI 0.15 to 0.50); time trial (28 trials) ES -0.10 (95% CI -0.27 to 0.06), not significant; graded exercise ES 0.25 (95% CI -0.06 to 0.56)
    Certainty: Search to October 2015; later meta-analyses confirm the time-to-exhaustion benefit and the weaker time-trial signal.
    Sports Med, 2017 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
15. ev-bjap-14 · Position of an expert body · consensus statement · n = —
    Supplements claiming to directly or indirectly enhance performance are typically the largest group of products marketed to athletes, but only a few (including caffeine, creatine, specific buffering agents and nitrate) have good evidence of benefits.
    
    Who: Elite athletes
    Effect: nitrate listed with caffeine, creatine and specific buffering agents as supplements with good evidence of benefits
    Certainty: Expert consensus without its own pooled analysis.
    Br J Sports Med, 2018 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
16. ev-bjap-16 · Position of an expert body · consensus statement, summary table · n = —
    There may exist the potential for GI upset in susceptible athletes, and should therefore be thoroughly trialled in training.
    
    Who: Athletes using nitrate supplements
    Effect: possible gastrointestinal upset in susceptible athletes; trial in training first
    Certainty: No frequency is given for gut upset. Red urine (beeturia) and the nitrate ADI are covered in the beet juice and heart health cards.
    Br J Sports Med, 2018 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the fulltext