Beetroot
Who should avoid beetroot juice?
Most people can drink it without a second thought. A few should check with a GP first and one group should not drink it at all without a cardiologist saying so. Here's who falls where and what counts as a real side effect rather than a scary-looking one.
Who should avoid beetroot juice
Beetroot is a vegetable. For most people it's food, not a decision.
Four groups need to be careful and one of those needs to stop and ask a doctor before going anywhere near it.
Ask a specialist first: anyone taking nitrate medication for angina.
Ask your GP first: anyone on blood pressure medication, anyone pregnant, anyone with kidney disease, a history of kidney stones, haemochromatosis or low blood pressure.
Everyone else: drink it. Our range of cold-pressed beetroot juice is pressed from whole vegetables and nothing else.
Why beetroot interacts with anything at all
Beetroot is rich in dietary nitrate. Your body turns that into nitric oxide, which widens blood vessels and lowers blood pressure a little.
That's the whole reason anyone finds beetroot interesting and it's also the whole reason a few people need to be careful. If something else you're taking works on the same pathway, the two can stack.
Which is why the dose matters and why knowing what's in the bottle matters. A 125ml bottle of pure beetroot juice is beetroot and a squeeze of lemon, nothing else, so there's nothing hidden to account for.
Nitrate medication for angina
This is the one genuine do-not group.
If you take nitroglycerin, isosorbide dinitrate or isosorbide mononitrate, don't drink beetroot juice without explicit permission from your GP or cardiologist.
Those drugs work by releasing nitric oxide directly. Adding dietary nitrate on top of them can drop blood pressure further than intended. This isn't a "probably fine, mention it sometime" situation.
Blood pressure medication
If you take lisinopril, ramipril, amlodipine, atenolol, furosemide or anything similar, your GP prescribed it to hit a specific number. Beetroot juice nudges the same number down.
Plenty of people on blood pressure medication drink it with no trouble at all. The point is that your GP should know, because they can see your readings and you can't see the interaction coming.
If they say yes, start small and keep it consistent. One 125ml bottle a day of cold-pressed beetroot juice is a known, repeatable amount, which is far easier for a GP to work with than a variable homemade glass.
Pregnancy
Pregnancy changes your blood pressure and how your body handles a lot of things. Beetroot's blood pressure effect is small, but small matters more when you're already being monitored.
Tell your midwife or GP before you start. Most guidance suggests either avoiding it or using it under medical supervision and they can weigh that against your own readings.
Breastfeeding is a different question and generally considered lower risk, but the research specific to beetroot juice is thin, so it's still worth asking.
Kidney disease and kidney stones
Two separate issues here, often confused.
Kidney disease. Beetroot is high in potassium. If your kidneys aren't regulating potassium well, that matters. Ask your nephrologist, not a search engine.
Kidney stones. Beetroot is high in oxalates. If you've had calcium oxalate stones before, a concentrated daily source is worth raising with your GP. If you've never had a stone, this almost certainly doesn't apply to you.
For anyone wondering whether beetroot is good for kidneys generally, the honest answer is that there's no strong evidence either way for healthy kidneys and existing kidney problems change the calculation entirely.
Haemochromatosis, low blood pressure and diabetes
Iron overload. Beetroot contains iron. If you have haemochromatosis or any iron overload condition, don't add a concentrated source without medical guidance.
Low blood pressure. If yours already runs low and you get lightheaded standing up, a drink that lowers it further isn't an obvious win. Worth a conversation.
Diabetes. Beetroot juice contains natural sugars. A 125ml bottle of pure beetroot juice has 8.8g. Worth knowing the number and discussing portion size with your GP or dietitian rather than assuming juice is automatically fine.
Things that look like side effects but aren't
Most of what gets searched as beetroot juice side effects turns out to be this list.
Pink or red urine. This is beeturia. It happens to roughly one in seven people, it's harmless and it's the single most common reason someone panics after their first beetroot juice. It can also tint stools. If red urine shows up when you haven't had any beetroot, that's a different matter and worth a GP visit.
Hair and skin. There are no established side effects on hair or skin from drinking beetroot juice. The staining people worry about comes from putting it on directly, not from drinking it.
Drinking it on an empty stomach. Fine for most people. If it feels harsh, have it with breakfast instead. If earthy neat beetroot is the problem rather than the timing, everyday beetroot juice is a lighter blend that sits easier.
Beetroot capsules and tablets. Different products with their own issues, mostly around not telling you what's in them. We covered that in beetroot capsules: do they actually work.
If you're in the clear, start small
Not because beetroot is risky, but because starting small tells you how your own body responds.
A 60ml cold-pressed beetroot shot is the smallest way in. Ginger Beets is beetroot with ginger, lemon and green apple, from £16.95 for seven.
If you want a controlled daily amount instead, one 125ml bottle of pure beetroot juice is the same thing every single day. Same beetroot, same volume, no guesswork. That consistency is the useful bit if you're monitoring anything.
Give it a week before changing anything, keep water alongside it and mention it at your next medication review.
Speak to a GP if this happens
If you start drinking beetroot juice and get dizziness or lightheadedness on standing, faintness, unusual fatigue, a racing or irregular heartbeat, chest discomfort or shortness of breath, stop and contact your GP or NHS 111.
Most likely your blood pressure has gone lower than intended. That's fixable and it's information your GP wants.
Who should avoid beetroot, at a glance
| Group | What to do |
|---|---|
| Nitrate medication for angina | Do not drink without cardiologist or GP approval |
| Blood pressure medication | Tell your GP first, then start small |
| Pregnant | Ask your midwife or GP before starting |
| Kidney disease | Ask your nephrologist, potassium is the issue |
| History of kidney stones | Raise it with your GP, oxalates are the issue |
| Haemochromatosis | Ask first, beetroot contains iron |
| Low blood pressure | Worth a conversation before daily use |
| Diabetes | Know the sugar figure, discuss portion size |
| Everyone else | Drink it |
Knowing exactly what you drank
If you're checking with a GP, the useful thing is being able to say precisely what's in it. Every juice below is pressed from whole vegetables and flash-frozen straight after pressing, never heated, never from concentrate, with the full ingredient list and nutrition on the page. Have a look at the range of beetroot juice delivered frozen.
Frequently Asked
Who should avoid beetroot juice?
Anyone on nitrate medication for angina should not drink it without their cardiologist or GP agreeing. Anyone on blood pressure medication, pregnant, or living with kidney disease, a history of kidney stones, haemochromatosis or low blood pressure should check first. Everyone else can drink it.
What are the side effects of beetroot juice?
For most people, pink or red urine and nothing else. That's beeturia and it's harmless. Real problems are limited to interactions with specific medications, mainly nitrates and blood pressure drugs, where the effect is blood pressure dropping lower than intended.
Can I drink beetroot juice with blood pressure medication?
Many people do, but tell your GP before you start rather than after. They prescribed your medication to reach a specific target and beetroot juice moves the same number. If they agree, a consistent daily amount like one 125ml bottle of cold-pressed beetroot juice is easier to monitor than a variable one.
Why has beetroot turned my urine pink?
It's called beeturia and it affects roughly one in seven people. Harmless, temporary and it can tint stools too. It happens with juice, whole beetroot and powder alike. Red urine with no beetroot in your diet is a different thing and worth a GP appointment.
Is beetroot good for kidneys?
There's no strong evidence either way for healthy kidneys. If you already have kidney disease, potassium is the concern and it's a question for your nephrologist. If you've had calcium oxalate stones, the oxalate content is worth raising with your GP.
Does beetroot juice have side effects on hair or skin?
No established ones from drinking it. The staining people worry about comes from applying beetroot directly rather than from drinking it and it washes out.
The Bottom Line
Beetroot is a vegetable and for the vast majority of people that's the end of the discussion. The caution list is short and specific and most of it comes down to one thing: beetroot lowers blood pressure a little, so anything else doing the same job needs accounting for.
If you're on nitrates for angina, ask before you drink it. If you're on blood pressure medication, pregnant, or dealing with kidneys, iron or low blood pressure, have the conversation first. It takes five minutes and the answer is usually yes.
And if none of that applies, there's nothing to think about. Two whole beetroot in a 125ml bottle of pure beetroot juice, or 60ml if you'd rather ease in with cold-pressed beetroot shots. Want to try a few formats first? The beetroot juice bundle has bottles and shots together from £34.95.
Related reading
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- Best time to drink beetroot juice
- Beetroot capsules
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