In a vibrant twist of science meets supper, a new study has found that beetroot juice does more than stain your teeth; it reshapes the bacterial ecosystem in your mouth and helps lower blood pressure in older adults. Yes, your humble morning “shot” of beetroot could be working microbial magic.
Researchers at the University of Exeter gave concentrated beetroot juice to two age groups: those under 30 and those over 60. They observed the effects on their mouths after receiving a dose of dietary nitrate. Spoiler: it wasn’t just the older group’s blood pressure that changed.
It was their oral microbiome, the constellation of bacteria that live in the mouth and play key roles in transforming dietary nitrate into nitric oxide. This molecule relaxes blood vessels and maintains healthy circulation.
After two weeks of twice-daily beetroot shots, the older participants had: a decrease in Prevotella, a bacteria linked to inflammation. They also noticed an increase in Neisseria, associated with cardiovascular benefits. There was a measurable drop in blood pressure, not observed in younger participants.
Does beet consumption prevent heart disease?
This suggests that age-related differences in oral bacteria may explain why older individuals benefit more dramatically from nitrate-rich diets.
Published in Free Radical Biology and Medicine, the study used gene sequencing to trace bacterial shifts.
“Older people naturally produce less nitric oxide,” said Professor Anni Vanhatalo, “so harnessing the power of nitrate through diet could be game-changing.” If beetroot’s not your jam, don’t worry—spinach, celery, and kale are nitrate-rich stars too.
With 75 participants and industry support from BBSRC, this is the most extensive study of its kind. The researchers now hope to explore whether sex, lifestyle, and diet diversity affect how different bodies respond to nitrate, and if this can be leveraged to stave off cardiovascular decline.
So next time you’re sipping beetroot juice, you might be rewiring your microbiome while keeping your heart ticking happily. Science is delicious.
Journal Reference:
- Anni Vanhatalo, Joanna Heureux et al. Ageing modifies the oral microbiome, nitric oxide bioavailability, and vascular responses to dietary nitrate supplementation. Free Radical Biology and Medicine. DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2025.07.002
