Beetroot extract may help postmenopausal women with carotid artery stiffness

Image | adobe.stock/Vadim Pastuh

Sabinsa (East Windsor, NJ) announced in a recent press release that a new study published in March 2025 highlighted how postmenopausal participants that received nitrate-rich beetroot extract over a 12-week period saw improvement with carotid artery stiffness.^1,2 Postmenopausal women may experience a higher risk of getting cardiovascular disease (CVD). The study titled, “Effect of 12-week dietary nitrate supplementation on carotid arterial stiffness in postmenopausal females,” was published in American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology and looked into the effects beetroot extract has on nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability. Research showed that beetroot extract helped support vascular health and did not affect blood pressure.¹

The randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled, and parallel-design study consisted of 20 postmenopausal women between the ages of 60 to 85 years-old.² Participants were put into two groups where one group received nitrate-rich (NR-BEETx) or nitrate-depleted (ND-BEETx) beetroot extract. The study utilized Sabinsa Corporation’s Sabeet beetroot extract product. To set a baseline, researchers measured carotid stiffness parameters-pulse wave velocity (PWVβ), β stiffness, pressure-strain elastic modulus, augmentation index (AIx), and arterial compliance in the beginning and then at weeks 4, 8, and 12.² Researchers saw that serum nitrate and nitrate concentrations rose in elevation in the NR-BEETx group which confirmed the bioavailability of nitric oxide (NO).¹ Additionally, blood pressure remained stable in both groups of participants.

“The results are promising, as they suggest that dietary nitrate supplementation could become an effective, non-pharmacological intervention to combat arterial stiffening in postmenopausal women,” said Dr. Thiago Alvares, the principal investigator of the study.¹ “With no significant change in blood pressure, beetroot extract provides a safe and natural way to improve vascular health.”

“Given the increase in cardiovascular disease risks among postmenopausal women, this study opens the door to innovative dietary interventions, with beetroot extract potentially becoming a recommended strategy for improving vascular function and reducing long-term cardiovascular risks,” said Shaheen Majeed, Global CEO and Managing Director, Sami-Sabinsa.¹

References

1. Study reveals beetroot extract improves carotid artery stiffness in postmenopausal women https://sabinsa.com/press-release-2025/1382-study-reveals-beetroot-extract-improves-carotid-artery-stiffness-in-postmenopausal-women (accessed Apr 1, 2025).
2. 2.Pinheiro VDS, Proctor DN, Nogueira Soares R, Alvares TS. Effect of 12-wk dietary nitrate supplementation on carotid arterial stiffness in postmenopausal females. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2025 Apr 1;328(4):H937-H944. doi: 10.1152/ajpheart.00065.2025. Epub 2025 Mar 11. PMID: 40066813.