Beet root on the rise: from athletic performance to heart health

Photo © AdobeStock.com/Medard

For full Ingredients to Watch coverage and sales data from SPINS, click here.

Finding success from one category to another and offering a variety of benefits, beet root has recently achieved explosive sales growth.

The latest SPINS data shared with Nutritional Outlook show beet root in the top ten functional ingredients in the cardiovascular health category in the mainstream multi-outlet channel. Within that category, sales have increased 161.3% in the 52 weeks ending October 6, 2024, to reach $46,783,721. Additionally, in the cardiovascular health category of the natural channel, beet root’s sales increased by 293.7% to reach $2,101,525.

Scott Dicker, market insights director at SPINS LLC, explains that what is driving the growth of beet root in cardiovascular health is its success in active nutrition. “It’s a great example of a long-standing ingredient that has found success in an adjacent health focus category,” says Dicker. “Typically, we think of beet root usually as a vasodilator for active nutrition, which it still is, but you see that translating into what brands are advertising as cardiovascular support, blood pressure support, things like that. But it’s a great example of an ingredient that had a home but had matured, so to speak, and then found an adjacent health focus. And that’s usually where we see the top growth ingredients.”

Active Nutrition

Irfan Qureshi, ND, Global Head of Product Development at Metagenics, explains that beetroot is a versatile ingredient that lends itself well to the active nutrition category. “In general, beet root extracts are a great addition to functional health products targeting a variety of benefit platforms,” he states. “For athletic performance, beet root extract can be combined with functional mushrooms, caffeine, citrulline, and other ingredients. For products targeting energy enhancement, beet root extract combined with adaptogens of various types could be an appealing combination while for products targeting blood pressure, combining beet root extract with other extracts rich in polyphenolic compounds may be a good choice.”

Interventional cardiologist and member of 1MD Nutrition’s scientific advisory board, Heather Shenkman, MD, agrees. In addition to beet root’s benefits on lipids, glucose, and blood pressure, “it can help improve athletic performance and reduce muscle soreness after exercise” while also playing well with other ingredients. In 1MD’s CardioFitMD product, for example, Shenkman explains that beet root is “paired with prebiotics and probiotics, fiber, and a multivitamin, to support healthy blood pressure and circulation.”

Heart health crossover

The complementary benefits and pairings allow beet root to comfortably straddle multiple categories, with cardiovascular health being a natural progression. “The fundamental way beet root extract supports heart health is through its impact on the vascular system,” explains Qureshi. “As beet roots are a source of nitrates, the extract can support the generation of nitric oxide resulting in improved blood flow through widened arteries. By acting on the endothelial lining of blood vessels, beet root extract may also support healthy blood pressure. Additionally, beet roots are a source of antioxidants in the form of polyphenols and other compounds. These compounds can scavenge free radicals that damage healthy blood vessels as well as quench inflammation in vascular tissue.”

“Beetroot is popular in the cardiovascular product space because its actions may not only promote heart health but may also improve energy levels,” adds Shenkman. “Beetroot’s main action in supporting heart health is through its high content of nitrates. Nitrates help to improve blood flow, lower blood pressure, and can increase exercise performance. Beetroot is also an excellent source of fiber, folate, manganese, potassium, vitamin C, and iron.”

This concept is easy for consumers to translate into practical uses. “As a natural source of nitrates that can be directly converted into nitric oxide, the logic of beets being good for cardiovascular health is easy to understand for people,” says Qureshi. “That coupled with the bright red color of beets makes the education component less of a burden.”

Consumer education on the health benefits is already prevalent, adds Qureshi. “Given the proliferation of education around the benefits of increased circulation and blood flow for other health categories, consumers readily make the association between the health benefits of beet roots and, for example, athletic performance and men’s sexual health,” he explains. “Since the functionality of beets is readily understood, in the mind of consumers they are a great natural alternative for supporting these key areas of health.”

A few obstacles and Solutions

One of the challenges of utilizing beet root is the flavor. “The flavor of beets can be divisive,” Qureshi explains. “While beets are a natural source of sugar and therefore have an element of sweetness to them, they also impart an earthy flavor. If one is accustomed to consuming beets, this may be palatable, but if not, it can be off-putting.”

“I think that’s why a lot of times [beet root products are in] the pill format,” says Dicker. “But it also depends on the dose; people aren’t going to want to take three or four or five or six pills.”

That’s where alternative dosage formats come in. With all this in mind, it’s crucial to have the right product format for the intended benefits, says Qureshi. “Since the effective dose of beets for various applications is on the higher side, powdered drink mixes and ready-to-drink products are good options,” he says. “Soft chews can also be an option if flavor masking is done well. Keep in mind that beet root powders may impart more of an earthy flavor than beet root extracts that are standardized to nitrate content. It’s also important to experiment with different suppliers and sources as extracts from various sources can have distinct organoleptic properties varying from more earthy to more neutral and sweeter. From a formulator’s perspective, dialing in the desired taste and texture in coordination with other ingredients that may be present in the product is important.”

Beet root makes an excellent addition to an active nutrition and cardiovascular health supplement, and with the right know-how is a versatile ingredient that can neatly complement a wide range of formulas. Well-recognized by consumers, it can make your product an easier sell as the ingredient crosses over into other categories.