Proven Health Benefits of Beets and Fermented Beets: What the Science Says
Beets are more than a colorful addition to salads and juices. These naturally sweet root vegetables contain dietary nitrates, betalain pigments, folate, potassium, fiber, and other bioactive compounds that have attracted considerable scientific interest.
Fermented beets add another dimension: fermentation can change the food’s microbial and chemical composition, potentially increasing its diversity of beneficial compounds. However, it is important to distinguish what research has firmly established about beets from what is still being investigated specifically for fermented beets.
Here is what the science currently tells us.
1. Beets May Help Support Healthy Blood Pressure
One of the best-studied benefits of beets comes from their naturally occurring dietary nitrates.
After consumption, some nitrate can be converted in the body to nitrite and then nitric oxide. Nitric oxide helps relax blood vessels and can improve blood flow.
Clinical studies have found that consuming nitrate-rich beetroot can produce a modest reduction in blood pressure, particularly systolic blood pressure, in some people.
This is one of the strongest evidence-based reasons to include beets in a balanced diet.
Bottom line: Beetroot is a useful dietary source of nitrates and may help support cardiovascular health, although it should not be considered a replacement for prescribed blood-pressure treatment.
2. Beets Can Support Exercise Performance
Beetroot has become popular among athletes because of its nitrate content.
Research suggests that nitrate-derived nitric oxide can improve the efficiency of oxygen use during certain forms of exercise. Some studies have reported improvements in endurance, exercise economy, or time-to-exhaustion, particularly in recreationally active people.
The effect is not necessarily dramatic, and results vary depending on the person, type of exercise, dose, and timing.
Bottom line: Beetroot may provide a measurable performance advantage for some types of endurance exercise.
3. They Provide Valuable Antioxidant Compounds
Beets contain distinctive pigments called betalains, including betacyanins and betaxanthins.
These compounds have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity in laboratory and experimental research. Beets also contain vitamin C and other plant compounds that contribute to their overall nutritional profile.
However, it is important not to overstate this evidence. Showing antioxidant activity in a laboratory does not automatically mean that eating beets prevents a particular disease in humans.
Bottom line: Beets are a nutrient-dense source of plant compounds with antioxidant properties, but disease-prevention claims require stronger human evidence.
4. Beets Contribute to a Heart-Healthy Diet
Beyond nitrates, beets provide several nutrients associated with overall cardiovascular health, including potassium, folate, fiber, and plant compounds.
A diet rich in vegetables is consistently associated with better cardiovascular outcomes. Beets can therefore be one component of a broader heart-healthy eating pattern.
It is the overall dietary pattern—not a single food—that matters most.
Bottom line: Beets fit well into a diet designed to support cardiovascular health.
5. Beets Provide Folate and Other Essential Nutrients
Beets aren’t simply a source of nitrates. They also provide important nutrients.
Depending on the serving and preparation method, beets can contribute:
- Folate (vitamin B9)
- Potassium
- Dietary fiber
- Manganese
- Vitamin C
- Other naturally occurring plant compounds
Folate is particularly important for DNA synthesis, cell division, and normal red blood cell formation.
6. Their Fiber Can Support Digestive Health
Whole beets contain dietary fiber, which helps support normal bowel function and contributes to a healthy diet.
Fiber also serves as a substrate for beneficial microorganisms in the gut. However, the effects of eating beets on the gut microbiome are not equivalent to taking a probiotic supplement, and research is still developing.
For the greatest fiber benefit, whole cooked or raw beets generally make more sense than highly filtered beet juice.
Bottom line: Whole beets can contribute useful fiber to the diet, while beet juice contains little or no fiber depending on how it is processed.
What About Fermented Beets?
Fermented beets are typically prepared by allowing naturally occurring or added microorganisms—most commonly lactic acid bacteria—to ferment the vegetables in a salty brine.
Fermentation can alter the food’s:
- Microbial composition
- Organic acid content
- Flavor and texture
- Availability of certain compounds
- Shelf life
This makes fermented beets nutritionally interesting, but there is an important scientific distinction.
7. Fermented Beets May Provide Live Microorganisms
When vegetables are properly fermented and the beneficial microorganisms remain alive, fermented foods can contain live microbes.
Some fermented foods have been studied for potential effects on the gut microbiome and digestive health. However, the specific health effects depend heavily on the microorganisms present, fermentation conditions, storage, and whether the product is pasteurized afterward.
Therefore, it would be inaccurate to claim that every jar of fermented beets is automatically a probiotic food with proven health effects.
Bottom line: Properly fermented, unpasteurized beets may contain live microorganisms, but the health effects of fermented beets specifically require more research.
8. Fermentation May Change the Bioavailability of Plant Compounds
Fermentation can transform food components through microbial metabolism.
In some foods, fermentation can increase the availability of certain nutrients or produce new bioactive compounds. It can also reduce some antinutritional compounds.
For beets specifically, researchers are interested in how fermentation affects betalains, phenolic compounds, nitrate-related compounds, and other components.
But laboratory findings should not be confused with established clinical benefits.
Bottom line: Fermentation can change the chemical and nutritional characteristics of beets, but more human research is needed to determine whether these changes translate into meaningful health advantages.
Beets vs. Fermented Beets
Both forms can have a place in a healthy diet, but they offer somewhat different characteristics.
| Feature | Fresh/Cooked Beets | Fermented Beets |
|---|---|---|
| Dietary nitrates | Yes | May be altered during fermentation |
| Fiber | Yes | Yes |
| Folate and minerals | Yes | Generally retained, although processing can change nutrient levels |
| Betalains | Yes | May change during fermentation |
| Live microorganisms | No | Potentially, if unpasteurized |
| Added sodium | Usually low | Often higher because of brine |
| Research evidence | Stronger | More limited |
This comparison highlights an important point: fermented does not automatically mean healthier. Fermented beets can provide unique benefits, but they may also contain considerably more sodium than fresh beets.
Are Beets Good for the Gut Microbiome?
There is growing scientific interest in the relationship between fermented foods, dietary fiber, and the gut microbiome.
Whole beets provide fiber and plant compounds that can interact with intestinal microorganisms. Fermented beets may additionally introduce microorganisms and fermentation-derived compounds.
However, the human microbiome is extremely complex. A person’s diet, medications, lifestyle, genetics, and existing gut microbial community can all influence the response.
So claims that fermented beets will “heal the gut,” “detox the intestines,” or “restore your microbiome” go beyond what current evidence can establish.
A more scientifically accurate statement is that fermented beets may contribute to a diverse diet containing fiber and, when unpasteurized, live microorganisms.
Can Beets Detox the Body?
This is a common claim, but it needs clarification.
Your liver and kidneys already perform sophisticated detoxification and waste-removal functions. There is no strong clinical evidence that eating beets “detoxes” the body in the way many commercial detox programs claim.
That doesn’t make beets unhelpful. Their nutrients and plant compounds can contribute to overall health and support normal physiological processes.
Better wording: Beets can be part of a nutrient-rich diet that supports normal body functions—not a special detox treatment.
What About Beet Juice?
Beet juice can provide concentrated nitrate without requiring a large serving of whole vegetables.
That may be useful in certain exercise or research settings. However, juicing removes most of the fiber found in whole beets and makes it easier to consume a large amount of the vegetable quickly.
For everyday nutrition, whole beets offer the advantage of fiber and greater satiety.
A Note About Red Urine
Don’t be alarmed if eating beets turns your urine pink or reddish. This harmless phenomenon is known as beeturia and occurs in some people after consuming beetroot.
Beets can also temporarily turn bowel movements reddish.
However, persistent blood-colored urine or stool that occurs independently of eating beets should not automatically be attributed to beetroot and may warrant medical evaluation.
Who Should Be Careful With Beets?
For most healthy people, beets are a safe and nutritious food.
However, some considerations are worth keeping in mind.
Kidney stones
Beets contain oxalates, which can contribute to calcium-oxalate stone formation in susceptible individuals. People who have been advised by a healthcare professional to follow a low-oxalate diet may need to moderate their beet intake.
Blood pressure medication
Because beetroot nitrate can lower blood pressure, people taking blood-pressure medication should discuss significant increases in beetroot or concentrated beet juice with their healthcare professional.
Fermented beets and sodium
Traditional vegetable fermentation commonly uses salt. If you need to restrict sodium, check the preparation method and portion size.
How to Include Beets in Your Diet
You don’t need a large amount of beetroot to benefit from its nutritional value.
Try:
- Roasted beets with olive oil and herbs
- Beets added to salads
- Cooked beets with yogurt or tahini
- Grated raw beets in slaws
- Beetroot blended into smoothies
- Fermented beets as a small side serving
- Beet greens cooked like other leafy vegetables
If you’re eating fermented beets specifically for live microorganisms, choose properly fermented, refrigerated products that have not been heat-treated after fermentation.
The Bottom Line
The strongest evidence for beetroot centers on its dietary nitrate content, particularly its potential to support nitric-oxide production, blood-vessel function, blood pressure, and certain aspects of exercise performance.
Beets also provide fiber, folate, potassium, betalains, and other plant compounds that make them a valuable part of a balanced diet.
Fermented beets are particularly interesting because fermentation can introduce live microorganisms and transform the food’s chemical composition. However, the evidence for specific health benefits of fermented beets is not yet as strong as the evidence for beetroot’s nitrate-related effects.
So the most science-based conclusion is simple:
Beets are a nutritious vegetable with promising and, in some areas, well-supported cardiovascular and exercise-related benefits. Fermented beets may offer additional advantages, especially when they contain live microorganisms, but more human research is needed before making strong claims about their unique health effects.
Rather than thinking of beets or fermented beets as a cure-all or detox food, consider them what they really are: nutrient-rich foods that can complement an overall healthy diet.