What Are the Benefits of Drinking Beetroot Juice?

Beetroot juice is rich in many nutrients such as nitrate, folic acid, manganese and potassium. Drinking beetroot juice can offer you several health benefits including reduced blood pressure, increased blood flow and improved stamina. You can prepare beetroot juice at home. Intake of beet juice can result in red urine and feces, though this has no harmful side effects. Consult your physician about how to incorporate beetroot juice to your diet.

Beets and beet juice (Image: MKucova/iStock/Getty Images)

Lowers Blood Pressure

The high nitrate content in beetroot juice can help lower blood pressure significantly. According to MailOnline, you are considered to have high blood pressure when your systolic pressure exceeds 140 millimeters of mercury and your diastolic pressure exceed 90 millimeters of mercury. When you drink beetroot juice, the nitrate content in it is converted to nitrite and later to nitric oxide gas. Nitric oxide gas dilates blood vessels, which improves blood flow, and this helps lower blood pressure. Other sources of dietary nitrate include cabbage and celery.

Reduces Your Risk of Cancer

Beetroot juice is a great antioxidant that can help prevent cancer in a number of ways. The betalains and vitamin C in beetroot are powerful antioxidants which aid in eradicating free radicals in your body that can lead to cancer, reports Health Guidance. Free radicals are highly reactive, unstable molecules that steal electrons from other molecules, thereby damaging those molecules and DNA. Beet juice is particularly effective in preventing colon cancer due to its detoxifying properties.

Increases Blood Flow to the Brain

Adequate blood flow to your brain can help bolster cognition abilities and help in combating progression of dementia, especially at old age. As you age, blood perfusion to some areas in your brain decreases, causing reduced brain function. Drinking beet juice can help improve blood flow to the brain due to its dilating effects on blood vessels. According to Wake Forest University, consuming beet juice increases blood flow to frontal lobes, and this can increase your brainpower.

Boosts Stamina

Drinking beetroot juice can boost your stamina by 16 percent, reports BBC News. The nitrate in beetroot juice is converted to nitric oxide, which lowers oxygen uptake during exercise -- this makes exercises less exhaustive. Regular intake of beet juice can help athletes endure exercises for longer periods. Good training, however, is essential for you to perfect your skills and increase endurance abilities.