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Benefits and Side Effects of Beetroots

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“Eat more vegetables. You will love the way you look and feel!” We all know that vegetables are very much beneficial for human health. One of the most beneficial vegetable is beetroot; which is a bright red colored vegetable that has many things to offer us. However, as they say; “Everything has two sides”; there are also some side effects of beetroots, mostly not known to us. In this current article we will talk about the benefits as well as the side effects of beetroots. Hope this will be a beneficial read for you.

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Benefits and Side Effects of Beetroots
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About Beetroot:

Beetroot is a bright red vegetable which has a lot to offer to human health. Beetroots are highly nutritious and contain many amazing properties that make them beneficial for our health. This vegetable is rich in vitamins, magnesium and bioflavanoid. Beetroots also contain tryptophan. Beetroots are traditionally used to treat many diseases and also used as an energy booster for improving athletic performances. Beetroots are also known to be beneficial for eyesight. Beetroots contain betaine which helps in relaxing your mind.

However, there are also some side effects of beetroot, which make the vegetable at times pretty dangerous. We will know more about the benefits and side effects of beetroot in the following sections of our article.

Benefits of Beetroots

Benefits of Beetroots:

In this section we will know about the benefits of Beetroots.

  1. Benefits of Beetroots to Heart Health:

    Beetroots are known to be very useful for heart health. Recent studies have shown that Beetroots helps in lowering the blood pressure. According to a study in the year 2010, conducted by Queen Mary’s University, it was shown that drinking 250 ml of beetroot juice a day significantly lowered human blood pressure for several hours.

    Scientists also claim that if beetroot juice is consumed on a wide scale, there would be about 10% reduction in several cardiovascular diseases that may lead to death.

  2. Benefits of Beetroots to Cancer Patients:

    Beetroots are also known to be beneficial for the cancer patients. As per the research, the betacyanin present in the beetroot helps in preventing the formation of cancerous tumors. Taking beetroot juice would help the cancer patients in a great way.

    A research in 1920’s showed that Beetroots have some properties that seemed to slow down the rate of cancer in the patient taking the juice. In the year 2011, Howard University in Washington, USA, conducted a research study where they found that betacyanin significantly slowed the tumor growth by 12.5% which exposed to prostate and breast cancer cells.

  3. Beetroots are Beneficial for Treating Birth Defects:

    Several birth defects can also be treated or reduced by taking Beetroots. Beetroots contain high amount of Vitamin B complex, folate or folic acid which when consumed by the pregnant women can help it reduce the risk of having a child with abnormalities. Studies have shown that women who intake folic acid supplements or beetroot juice before conception and during the first trimester of pregnancy, reduced their risk of having children with brain, spine or spinal cord birth defects by 72 to 100%.

    Studies also showed that beetroot juice also aids in preventing miscarriage.

  4. Benefits of Beetroots in Arthritis:

    One more benefits of Beetroots include the benefits in treating arthritis. Compounds found the beetroot are known to be good solvents of inorganic calcium deposits in the body. This makes beetroot juice beneficial in reversing arthritis.

  5. Benefits of Beetroot to Digestive Health:

    Beetroots are also known to be beneficial for digestive health. Beetroot contains fiber in it which is the food fiber and provide specific health benefits, especially to the health of human digestive tract. So, taking beetroot juice can be beneficial for digestive health in a great way.

  6. Beetroot Helps in Detoxification:

    Beetroot contains betalin pigments which supports the phase 2 detoxification process of our body. This phase 2 in metabolism is the step where our cells use to hook activated and unwanted toxic substances up with small nutrient groups, which in turn effectively neutralizes the toxins and makes them sufficiently water soluble for being excreted out in the urine. Betalin pigment present in beetroot help in the phase 2 detoxification process making it a must be vegetable to be added in the diet.

  7. Beetroots are Beneficial for Brain or Mental Health:

    Beetroots are also known to have great mental health benefits. These red colored vegetables contain nitrates in them which have been proved to open up blood vessels and aid the blood flow freely. Blood flow to the brain is helpful in improving mental health. Poor blood flow to the brain results in onset of dementia. A research study at Wake University, USA has proved that juice of Beetroots has a positive impact on brain function.

    Apart from this, beetroot is also known to be helpful in relaxing your mind and in treating depression.

Side Effects of Beetroots

Side Effects of Beetroots:

Here we will talk about the side effects of Beetroots.

  1. Beeturia as a Side Effect of Beetroot:

    As per the British medical journal, some percentage of the population suffers from a condition known as Beeturia, where they excrete red colored urine because of consuming Beetroots. Though this side effect is not a serious condition, it may worry and panic some people.

  2. Beetroot Can Cause Side Effects of Kidney Problem:

    Beetroot contains betaine pigment which increases the total cholesterol level in the body. That is the reason, people with kidney disease must avoid beetroot so as to avoid any complication.

  3. Nausea and Diarrhea as a Side Effect of Beetroot:

    One of the side effects of Beetroots is it may cause nausea, diarrhea, and stomach upset etc in some people taking the vegetable. Presence of betaine causes these side effects.

  4. Beetroot Lowers the Blood Pressure Level:

    Beetroot lowers the body’s blood pressure level. This can be a good thing for those who have high blood pressure. However, it is important to note that it can bring down the body’s blood pressure level seriously down at times if Beetroots are taken in combination with BP medication. So, cautions must be maintained in patients with high BP taking BP medicines while taking Beetroots.

  5. Iron and Copper Condition:

    Beetroots are packed with minerals like iron and copper. So, patient suffering from Wilson Disease (condition which doesn’t allow a person’s body to lose excess copper) or Hemochromatosis (condition where iron is overloaded in the body); must avoid taking excess of beetroot as it may cause serious side effects of potential accumulation of copper and iron in the body. This may worsen the diseased condition.

  6. Side Effects of Possible Kidney Stones:

    Beetroot contain high amount of oxalate content which increases the possibility of kidney stone formation in the body. So excess of beetroot, especially if you have a history of kidney stones; may be dangerous for you.

  7. Side Effects of Beetroot May Include Problems With Vocal Cord:

    There may be a feeling of tightness in the throat and can even be difficult to speak by drinking excess of beetroot juice in many people. However, limited dose or taking beetroot with other vegetable juice can be a better option.

  8. Lowering Calcium Level:

    One more side effect of Beetroots is it lowers the calcium level in the body and this may lead to many diseases including bone problems. Talk to your doctor for best advices on beetroot consumption.

  9. Side Effects of Taking Beetroots During Pregnancy:

    There may be some side effects of taking beetroot juice during pregnancy because of the presence of betaine which may affect both mother and the child. Do not take excess amount of beetroot juice during pregnancy.

  10. Other Side Effects of Beetroots:

    There are some other side effects of Beetroots like, some people may experience chills, fever and skin rashes after drinking beetroot juice.

Precautions and Appropriate Dosing of Beetroot Consumption:

We by now know that Beetroots are beneficial as well as harmful. In order to take the benefits of the vegetable and keep away from side effects; we need to follow some precautions. Let us check below for the precaution and also know the appropriate dosing of beetroot consumption in the following paragraph.

One thing must be kept noted that juice of beetroot may cause you to feel a little nauseous and dizzy while it initiate a cleansing reaction in your body once you start taking it. Though this thing is pretty normal, you may feel a bit uncomfortable. So, it is always recommended that you start with a low dose of beetroot juice until your body start tolerating the cleansing effect.

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Appropriate dosage for beginners would be 4-5 ounces of beetroot juice a day. You can gradually increase the dose to a glass of beetroot juice in a day. However, the dosage of beetroot juice depends on factors like age, health and several other conditions. So it is best to take the expert advice from your health care provider and keep yourself fit, healthy and safe.

Conclusion:

Now, we know about the benefits as well as the side effects of Beetroots. Though the side effects of Beetroots may look scary at times, there are a lot of wonderful benefits we mentioned about the beetroot. So, taking proper dose of beetroot and maintaining the precautions can be helpful for you if you want to take the advantage of Beetroots for your health.

Kindly talk to your healthcare provider for best advices on the same.

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Team PainAssist
Team PainAssist
Written, Edited or Reviewed By: Team PainAssist, Pain Assist Inc. This article does not provide medical advice. See disclaimer
Last Modified On:August 17, 2019

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