Nutritional Advice El Mondo
Objectives:
Beetroot is considered a complementary treatment for hypertension because of its high content of inorganic NO3.
The aim of this meta-analysis (review article) is to clarify several aspects of beetroot juice supplementation on systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP).
Study design:
This review article included 22 RCTs with a total of 47 intervention (n = 650) and 43 control (n = 598) groups.
Results and conclusions:
The investigators found overall, systolic blood pressure [-3.55 mmHg, 95% CI = -4.55 to -2.54 mmHg] and diastolic blood pressure [-1.32 mmHg, 95% CI = -1.97 to -0.68 mmHg] were significantly lower in the beetroot juice-supplemented groups than in the control groups.
The investigators found the mean difference of systolic blood pressure was larger between beetroot juice-supplemented and control groups in the longer than in the shorter (≥14 compared with 14 days) study durations [-5.11 compared with -2.67 mmHg].
The investigators found the mean difference of systolic blood pressure was larger between beetroot juice-supplemented and control groups in the highest compared with the lowest (500 compared with 70 and 140 mL/d] doses of beetroot juice [-4.78 compared with -2.37 mmHg].
The investigators found a positive correlation between beetroot juice doses and the mean differences of blood pressures.
The investigators found a smaller effect size of blood pressures after supplementation with higher NO3 (milligrams per 100 mL beetroot juice).
The investigators found a weak effect size in a meta-analysis of trials that used NO3-depleted beetroot juice as a placebo compared with other interventions [-3.09 compared with -4.51 mmHg for systolic blood pressure and -0.81 compared with -2.01 mmHg for diastolic blood pressure].
The investigators concluded beetroot juice supplementation, particularly 500 mL/d beetroot juice during at least 14 days, reduces blood pressure.
Original title:
The Nitrate-Independent Blood Pressure-Lowering Effect of Beetroot Juice: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis by Bahadoran Z, Mirmiran P, […], Ghasemi A.
Link:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29141968
Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on fruit, hypertension prevention and cardiovascular diseases right here.