What is the difference between beet and beetroot

Beet greens contain high levels of oxalates, which can contribute to kidney stone formation 38 , Oxalates also have antinutrient properties. This means that they may interfere with the absorption of micronutrients. Levels of oxalates are much higher in the leaves than the root itself, but the root is nevertheless considered high in oxalates Beetroots are usually well tolerated but contain oxalates — which may lead to kidney stones — and FODMAPs, which may cause digestive issues. Their health benefits include improved heart health and enhanced exercise capacity, both of which are attributed to their inorganic nitrate content.

Beets are sweet and especially delicious when mixed in salads. From avocado salad to chocolate mousse, beets can go just about anywhere!

You might see beet juice on the menu at your local juice shop. Here are 11 of them. SuperBeets is a popular supplement made of dehydrated beets that allegedly offers health benefits. Here's a detailed look at SuperBeets and its….

Find out what the research says about beet juice for the treatment of erectile dysfunction ED. Beeturia is a harmless condition in which your urine turns red after consuming beets. It occurs in about 14 percent of the population. Both beet and cane sugar are found in many foods, including sweets and sodas.

This article reviews the differences between beet and cane sugar to…. Packed with nutrients but low in calories, leafy greens are crucial to a wholesome diet. Here are 14 of the healthiest leafy green vegetables you…. Getting your meals delivered can save major time on meal prep. Numerous foods are marketed as healthy but contain hidden ingredients.

Here are 14 "health foods" that aren't as nutritious as you thought. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Many of these benefits are due to their high content of inorganic nitrates. Beetroot, an annual or biennial cultivated form of Beta vulgaris subsp. As a rich and nutritious source, it is believed to hold health-promotional characteristics, anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects [ 3 ], anti-carcinogenic and anti-diabetic activities and hepato-protective, hypotensive and wound healing properties [ 4 , 5 ].

Therefore, beetroot is currently being applied as a functional ingredient in the development of various meals [ 6 , 7 ]. It is notable that most recent studies on beetroot supplementation, especially those addressing its hypotensive and ergogenic properties, emphasized the critical role of inorganic NO 3 on the clinical effect of this vegetable and its byproducts.

So far, various interventional studies from selective literature have explored and addressed the implications of beetroot and its byproducts on systolic and diastolic blood pressures, vascular and endothelial function, insulin and glucose responses within the glycemic homeostatic context, and the abundance of microbiome. The overall results were ultimately found to be mostly inconsistent. Also, the hypotensive and hypoglycemic effect of beetroot juice consumption had not been firmly attributed to one and major responsible mechanism; such analytic vision was seen across microbial and renal studies as well.

This comprehensive review provided a detailed, reliable proof on the treatment of the elevated renal parameters including renal resistive index and arterial stiffness with beetroot and its components. Additionally, within this review we aim to provide an updated summery of beetroot consumption and its ultimate effects on blood glucose, blood pressure and microbiome levels, vascular and renal function and therefore, incidence of metabolic syndrome.

Findings from this review are useful in addressing mechanisms involved in key metabolic areas and a wrap up on different aspects of each study. The achievement of this goal paves the way of taking further pharmacological and nutritional advantages in the prevention and treatment levels and bring new perspectives into such multidisciplinary field.

With the constant evolving matter of science, this review is one of its kind in the past few years that reported the metabolic effect of beetroot juice on different populations. Beetroot is consist of multiple biologically active phytochemicals including betalains [ 8 ] e. It is commonly consumed in form of supplemental juice, powder, bread, gel, boiled, oven-dried, pickled, pureed or jam-processed across different food cultures [ 1 , 10 , 11 ].

Moreover, various commercial organic and conventional beetroot juices, are reported to contain total sugar, vitamin C and total flavonoids within a range of 1. In fact, beetroot is classified as one of the ten plants with the highest antioxidant activity [ 8 ]. It is believed to be the main commercial source of betalains, as in concentrated forms, powder, or natural dyes in gelatins, confectionery, dairy, meat, and poultry derived products [ 8 ]. NO 3 contributes as one of the most important inorganic compounds within beetroot, the content of which is reported to vary fold between single varieties [ 1 ].

Although nitrate is relatively inert, it is yet capable of transforming status into NO 2 through bacterial enzymatic pathways NO 3 reductase , which subsequently is non- enzymatically decomposed to NO in the oral cavity. The classification of the beetroot organ in terms of NO 3 concentration from highest to lowest is as petiole, leaf, stem, root, tuber, bulb, fruit, and seed, respectively [ 8 ].

Additionally, the oxalic acid constitution of beetroot is relatively abundant [ 13 ]; average content in raw beetroot and beetroot juice equals to Oxalic acid, as a metal ion chelator, promotes the formation of nephroliths, and therefore, is considered as a health concern especially in patients predisposed to the kidney disease [ 1 , 14 ].

Red round thin beetroot chips and pseudoplastic beetroot gels are also of the most recently invented and functional forms of beetroot supplements. The pseudoplastic gel, as a mean of NO 3 administration to athletes, is believed to contain the highest protein and lowest lipid content, ranking beetroot gel not as the most commonly used but most effective formulation comparing to other byproducts [ 8 ].

Despite the industrial food exploitation of red beet, sugar beet is grown commercially for sugar production due to the high content of sucrose [ 1 ]. The processing of the sugar depends on the nitrogen availability, especially in the early stages of growth [ 15 , 16 ]. The awareness regarding the impact of acute and chronic beetroot juice consumption on blood pressure and vascular function by clinical studies is rapidly rising Tables 2 and 3.

Within this review, we investigated a total of 25 human studies. The number of studies with emphasis on the blood pressure lowering properties among normotensive and hypertensive individuals in different health states, overwhelms those contradicting this outcome. The role of nitrate- nitrite pathway and that of bioactive compounds are highlighted. For the first time, Webb et al. This result was confirmed by a meta-analysis of 12 randomized clinical trials by Siervo et al. This study investigated the acute hypotensive properties of beetroot juice, and highlighted the significant association between a daily dose of inorganic NO 3 as a biomarker of NO availability, provided as sodium NO 3 or beetroot juice and changes in SBP [ 44 ].

Beetroot juice consumption was also shown to reduce blood pressure, improve endothelial function, and dramatically increase the plasma NO 2 level and systemic NO production [ 38 ].

In contrary to the most common conclusion, emphasizing the exclusive role of NO 3 on the hypotensive effect of beetroot, a recent meta-analysis highlighted the potential NO 3 independent blood pressure lowering effect and postulated a dose-dependent relationship between inorganic NO 3 and its hypotensive effect [ 47 ]. Hypotensive effect of beetroot seems to be highly influenced by physiological and medical status. Beetroot juice administration was found to exert a much stronger effect on blood pressure in hypertensive compared to normotensive subjects, which can be explained by the rate of erythrocyte xanthine oxidase expression XOR - Erythrocytic Xanthine Oxidoreductase, an enzyme involved in reduction of NO 2 in active NO in hypertensive states [ 40 ].

The reason for this discrepant result is unclear but may reflect the study methodology, related to concomitant medications or aberrant vascular physiology in diabetic patients [ 28 ]. Similarly, the study of Ghosh et al. It was concluded that the ingestion of a single dose of dietary nitrate, does not provide a considerable difference between the two groups at any time points.

It was however confirmed that a considerable correlation exists among alterations of plasma nitrite conversion and concentration rates, and blood pressure responses, which was consistent with the previous biochemical data and other modalities.

With that said, interventions involving dietary nitrate may only appear effective if the individual is capable of undergoing nitrate to nitrite bioconversion or assimilating abilities [ 40 ].

The unsustain blood pressure lowering properties, is another substantial topic. A randomized parallel, clinical trial by Jajja et al. The ultrasound flow-mediated dilatation measurement FMD and aortic pulse wave velocity aPWV were the primary methods of investigating the potential short and long term effects of beetroot consumption on vascular function. Notably, vascular responsive features to beetroot supplementation can be affected by vascular aging due to a substantial decrease in the NO 3 to NO 2 bioconversion capacity; Siervo et al.

Whether the NO 3 is responsible for the leading, beneficial effects of beetroot, can be looked at as a controversial topic. The physiological effects of beetroot is suggested to have a direct relationship with its NO 3 content beyond other bioactive compounds including betacyanins Fig. The pharmacokinetics of NO 3 are suggested to differ based on the delivery vehicle [ 51 , 52 ], in which beetroot was used as in the vast majority of clinical studies, investigating the hypotensive effect of NO 3 [ 26 , 31 , 35 , 50 , 51 , 52 ].

In a similar instance, there is a considerable trend between the changes in SBP, plasma NO 2 , the reduction of peak and increase of blood pressure and plasma NO 2 [ 40 ]. NO decreases the population of acidogenic cariogenic bacteria, increases oral pH, reduces the vascular stiffness and ROS production, and subsequently, improves the endothelial function. Decreased ROS production along with increased activity of antioxidant enzymes, reduce the oxidative stress.

Other bioactive compounds e. The NO 3 -mediated hypotensive effect of beetroot is highlighted by the elevation of XOR enzyme expression level and XOR-dependent NO 2 reductase activity post-ingestion of beetroot juice, and the promised hypotensive effect is disrupted by allopurinol, an XOR inhibitor [ 40 ]. The reduction of blood pressure following beetroot consumption is believed to suppress and interrupt the salivary NO 3 uptake.

Evidences suggest this procedure to consequently disturb cardio-protective aspects of dietary NO 3. Altogether, based on the current prevailing perception, NO 3 and its subsequent NO product are mainly responsible for cardio-protective and hypotensive effects of beetroot supplements; while so, additive or synergistic effects of other bioactive compounds such as vitamin C, polyphenols and carotenoids should not be neglected.

The potential hypoglycemic effect of beetroot juice across healthy individuals and patients with various disorders have been studied previously, out of which 5 human and 2 animal studies were investigated in this review Table 4. Due to the contribution of the lipid profile as a complementary factor in the incidence of glycemic abnormalities, this topic was also briefly evaluated in conjunction within this section.

This assessment found a positive correlation on both glycemic and insulin responses in the first sample over the two beverages. The glycemic response post- beetroot juice consumption via the first and second drinks was shown to be significantly lower than the third drink.

Considerably lower insulin response was elicited between beetroot juice and the control drink that remained non- significant. In this respect, it is suggested that polyphenol- rich beetroot juice might be responsible for the late rise in the early phases of postprandial glucose or insulin responses [ 48 ].

Collected data from a recent study on 30 healthy participants outlined further decreasing trend of blood glucose level by With significant assimilation to the hypotensive effect, it can be said that persistent consumption of beetroot juice might be necessary on the maintenance of sustainable impacts of blood glucose and insulin responses [ 49 ].

Beals et al. It was, therefore, obtained that obese adults with a higher risk of developing insulin resistance, may benefit from nitrate-rich foods [ 57 ]. Among studies compatible with the blood-glucose-lowering effect of Beta vulgaris in this review, multiple mechanisms were suggested to be responsible Fig. Some papers emphasized the critical role of bioactive compounds [ 48 , 58 ] including the action of ethanol via an ethanolic extraction of beetroot juice EEBT [ 59 ].

The nitrite- nitrate pathway, taking place in the oral cavity by the commensal bacteria, was also introduced [ 57 ]. The increasing trend of serum cortisol level post- beetroot consumption, as a stress hormone and leading factor in the elevation of gluconeogenesis, is coupled with the reduced glucose concentration, as well. This phenomenon can be related to either the Adrenocorticotropic hormone ACTH secretion or the mode of action at the adrenal cortex level [ 49 ]. Therefore, the intake of beetroot juice decreased the blood glucose level comparing to the control and placebo beverages, the reason of which is postulated to be regarding the polyphenol, betanins and neobetanin, as a betanin degradation product, ethanol content, nitrite- nitrate pathway or the inhibition of hormonal reductase activity.

The effect of NO 3 and other bioactive compounds within beetroot juice on regulation of insulin and glucose homeostasis; NO enhanced the B-cells viability and pancreatic blood flow, which in turn increases the insulin secretion.

It also increases the Glut- 4 gene expression and translocation from cytosol to membrane in the adipose tissue and skeletal muscle. This enhancement, along with the activation of AMPK signaling, improves the insulin sensitivity. Reduced carbohydrate digestion and intestinal glucose absorption suppresses the postprandial glucose response as well.

The amelioration of insulin sensitivity and insulin secretion, along with the suppression of postprandial glucose response, correspondingly, regulates the insulin and glucose homeostasis.

In addition to the glycemic controlling properties of beetroot juice, some articles highlighted the beneficial effect of this beverage on lipid profile and its parameters TC, TG, HDL, and LDL , which is directly related to the incidence of T2DM. Among the related parameters TG was only revealed to be notably higher in the intervention group at pre-treatment level. While so, the 2HPP was shown to be lower than that pre-administration of beetroot juice comparing to the control.

The lipid profile parameters decreased at post-treatment level, and all parameters but HDL had significantly lower values than those in the control group. An animal study on the blood-glucose-lowering effect of beetroot juice extended our knowledge in an STZ Streptozotocin - induced diabetic rat model.

Altogether, these studies raised evidence in favor of blood glucose lowering effect of beetroot and beetroot juice in particular. It can be implied that beetroot juice is able to effectively lessen the impact of insulin resistance in a drug- comparable manner. Thus far, data and information regarding the impact of Beta vulgaris on gut microbiome and salivary microflora is limited, yet the association with metabolic dysfunction cannot be neglected. Within this context it was primarily indicated that dietary NO 3 supplementation could alter the salivary microbiome, an outcome that has been perused through investigation of 6 human and 7 animal studies in this review.

Vanhatalo et al. Nevertheless, it is still in doubt, how the abundance of known NO 3 - reducing bacteria such as Fusobacterium nucleatum, Prevotella melaninogenica and Leptorichia buccalis affects nitrate response.

NO biomarkers, including the blood pressure and arterial stiffness, have been used to express the results. The NO 3 and NO 2 values were seen to be significantly higher in the beetroot juice supplemented group than the control. The results have also explained no considerable SBP and DBP modulations comparing to the baseline, notwithstanding a non- significant difference to be present among older subjects, due to the higher NO 2 concentration in that group following beetroot juice consumption.

The high baseline abundance of Fusobacterium nucleatum subsp. Based on this article, the chronic ingestion of inorganic NO 3 not only increases a proportion of the oral microbiome including Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes and Fusobacteria, but also serves to change the relative abundance of a few, but not all, NO 3 - reducers. This alteration is positive in Neisseria and Rothia reducers, due to the high NO bioavailability, as a probable cardiovascular health promoter, and negative among Prevotella and Veillonella.

Authors concluded that dietary NO 3 supplementation could alter the salivary microbiome in young and old normotensive individuals [ 61 ]. The consumption of nitrate-rich Beta vulgaris also increase the consequent rate of NO bioconversion and mean pH from 7.

Assuming bioconversion to occur in the mouth [ 62 ], it is suggestive that this process may play a critical role in host defense [ 63 , 64 ], lower prevalence of metabolic dysfunction and caries in the oral cavity through acidification- preventing properties of human saliva and therefore, shift the composition of the microbiome [ 62 ]. It is well established that the administration of NO 3 supplementation as beetroot juice enhances cardio-protective and cardio-enhancing properties [ 65 , 66 , 67 ].

Collected data indicated that the salivary nitrate concentration among beetroot juice and placebo consuming groups both had elevated, yet the range in beetroot juice consumers reached more significant. Consequently, it was highlighted that the baseline value reached the maximum amount within day 8 of beetroot juice and day 15 of placebo consumption [ 62 ]. Since the NO bioconversion is of high importance in the metabolic function, the second assessment was performed on the total NO bioavailability and bioconversions in the mouth, as a commensal microflora- dependent procedure.

NO concentration was found to decline among the beetroot juice consuming group and back to basal levels straight after the juice consumption period, suggesting consistent ingestion for the determination of antimicrobial effect and other biological functions of NO to be required [ 62 ]. The fermentation of beetroot juice has recently sparked interest as an evolving strategy that is being investigated across several human and animal subjects. One of such efforts is a study on Lactic acid bacteria fermentation, where three phylus of Lactobacillus plantarum , Lactobacillus rhamnnosus, and Lactobacillus delbrueckii sb.

The comparison of fresh and probiotic beetroot juice, presented a slight increase in the protein values from 3. This conclusion was in agreement with a recent study among animal models, investigating the administration of lacto-fermented beetroot juice FBJ alone or along with M-nitroso-N-methyl urea MNU- as a harmful factor. The results have shown Bifidobacterium to be the most stable microorganism that almost equally colonized the gut epithelium. It also indicated that the mutagen MNU is incapable of affecting microorganism adherence to the gut epithelium.

MNU led to various outcomes depending on the bacterial phylus and the type of intervention [ 69 ]. Fresh and lacto-fermented beetroot juices are distinguished by the high anti-carcinogenic and anti-mutagenic potentials [ 70 , 71 , 72 ]. Ben Davis April 23, Is sugar beet and beetroot the same? What is the meaning of sugarbeet? What is the difference between sugar beet and sugarcane?

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