Beetroot juice shows early potential in treating peripheral artery disease

A new systematic review suggests beetroot juice, rich in dietary nitrates, may offer benefits for patients with peripheral artery disease, though evidence remains limited and inconsistent. Published under PRISMA 2020 guidelines and registered in PROSPERO, the review analyzed five randomized controlled trials involving 64 patients with peripheral artery disease, all experiencing stable claudication.

The systematic review, published in Cureus, explored whether beetroot juice could improve symptoms like leg pain during exercise, known as claudication, and increase walking capacity. Two trials reported significant gains: one found an 18% increase in claudication onset time and a 17% improvement in peak walking time. Other trials, however, showed no clear benefit or improvements in both treatment and placebo groups, raising questions about placebo effects or study design factors.

Beetroot juice was also associated with reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure in several studies, and no adverse effects were reported, according to Cureus. Researchers believe the potential benefit lies in increased nitric oxide bioavailability, which may improve blood flow and muscle oxygenation.

Despite encouraging signals, the authors cautioned that the small sample sizes, short follow-up periods, and inconsistent methodologies mean the findings are preliminary.

“Although preliminary evidence suggests that beetroot juice may be a safe adjunct therapy, likely due to its favorable influence on nitric oxide bioavailability, which may enhance exercise tolerance in individuals with peripheral artery disease, these findings should be interpreted with caution. The small sample sizes, inconsistent outcomes, and moderate-to-high risk of bias in several studies limit the certainty and generalizability of the evidence,” they wrote.

Read more: Cureus 

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