Beet supplements may not live up to the hype.

Whether roasted, pickled or juiced, beets are gaining traction with wellness enthusiasts and nutrition companies as an underappreciated superfood.

Walk past any number of big box chains and you’ll see prominent displays near nutrition sections. And if you see shoppers paying attention, perhaps it’s because of the stream of advertising they’ve encountered on TV.

To be sure, the vegetable has been shown in some studies to improve hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, and even help athletic performance.

But the root vegetable’s earthy aroma and flavor does not appeal to every palate, making beetroot powder supplements a popular choice for people seeking the health benefits without the peaty taste, said clinical pharmacist Erica Godley, whose job includes counseling patients at Novant Health Agnes B. and Edward I. Weisiger Cancer Institute in Charlotte.

Studies have shown health benefits from beets in their vegetable form. However, other products including beets, such as capsules of powdered beetroot, are only as good as the amount of essential ingredients they carry. Often, they come up short on key ingredients and cost a lot more than beets themselves, Godley said. She shared tips on ways to glean benefits from the ruby-red, leafy vegetable.

Are beets a superfood?

Beetroot, or beets, as they’re commonly known, carry several nutrients essential to our health, including folate and manganese that are essential to functions like the production of red blood cells and bone development. In vegetable form, they also contain fiber, an important part of a healthy diet.

But the key ingredient that the makers of supplements appear to focus on is the nitrates found in beets. When you eat beets or other nitrate-rich foods, such as spinach and arugula, your body converts them into nitric oxide. Nitric oxide helps relax and widen the blood vessels. Studies have shown that through their nitrate content, beets can improve blood pressure in some people.

There is also limited research suggesting beets can support athletic performance due to the same ingredient – nitrates – which are found in higher concentration in the vegetable or its juice.

Can beets help someone avoid taking high blood pressure medication?

There’s not a large body of research on the impact of beets on blood pressure. But looking across the studies that have been conducted, some people experience about a four-point decrease in their systolic blood pressure from the nitrates in beets, which is the top number of the blood pressure reading and indicates the pressure in your arteries when your heart beats.

This suggests adding more beets to your diet would likely require other changes in diet and lifestyle to make the desired changes to a person’s blood pressure.

It’s important to check with your doctor for advice on how to manage blood pressure and whether beets are the right choice for your individual needs. For example, the sugar content in any kind of juice, including beet juice, is an important consideration for a person with diabetes.

Do beet supplements have the same benefits as eating beets or drinking beet juice?

In studies that have looked at the benefits of beets, the research has focused on the juice, which can lower systolic blood pressure in some people due to that active ingredient that serves to regulate blood flow, nitrates. A dose of 300 to 500 milligrams of nitrates can have an impact on blood pressure.

Research from Purdue University looked at nitrate content in beet juice and capsule or pill supplements and found that a serving of beetroot juice can contain anywhere from 230 to 1,000 milligrams of nitrates. By comparison, beet supplements in powdered form contained only 5 to 10 milligrams of nitrates.

When reviewing nutrition information, consumers should note that most supplements do not state the amount of nitrates in the supplement. Measurements may refer to the amount of beetroot powder inside each capsule, not the dose of nitrates you’re getting in one capsule. The capsules are typically expensive and probably will provide no benefit in such a small dosage.

Eating the vegetable or making a juice, on the other hand, is a great way to incorporate beets into your diet that is relatively inexpensive and could boost your nutrition.

What do I need to know about buying or making beet juice?

Making beet juice is easy and inexpensive if you make it yourself, but it needs to be refrigerated. Left at room temperature, the nitrate concentration decreases dramatically.

You can also find beet juice or concentrated juice that you mix with water at health food or grocery stores. Many of these products have citrus elements added to them to preserve that nitrate content. But some also have added sugar, so be mindful of the sugar and carbohydrate content, as well. It could be higher than what you make from scratch.

What else should people consider about supplements to lower blood pressure?

For anyone considering supplements of any kind, look for products that are NSF Certified or USP Verified, meaning they meet certain quality and safety standards.