Can Beetroot Supplementation Cause Irregular Heart Rate?
No, beetroot supplementation does not cause irregular heart rate (arrhythmia) and is actually recommended as a beneficial dietary intervention for cardiovascular health, including blood pressure reduction. 1
Evidence from Clinical Guidelines
The most authoritative evidence comes from major hypertension guidelines that explicitly recommend beetroot and beetroot juice as part of healthy dietary interventions:
The 2020 International Society of Hypertension guidelines specifically recommend increasing intake of vegetables high in nitrates known to reduce blood pressure, including beetroot, and list beetroot juice among beneficial beverages 1
The 2025 AHA/ACC hypertension guidelines do not list beetroot among supplements requiring caution or associated with arrhythmias 2
The 2006 ACC/AHA/ESC ventricular arrhythmia guidelines, which comprehensively reviewed drugs and supplements causing arrhythmias, do not mention beetroot as a proarrhythmic agent 3
What the Research Shows About Heart Rate Effects
Recent research actually demonstrates beneficial effects on cardiac autonomic function:
Beetroot supplementation improves heart rate variability (HRV) recovery after exercise, specifically increasing RMSSD (a marker of parasympathetic activity) by 6.68 ms 4, 5
It reduces sympathetic nerve activity at rest and during exercise, which would be protective against arrhythmias rather than causative 6
Studies show beetroot reduces internal cardiac load during resistance training and improves cardiovascular recovery 7
Important Context: Supplements That DO Cause Arrhythmias
To put this in perspective, guidelines clearly identify supplements that genuinely cause arrhythmias:
- Ephedra/ma huang - associated with sudden cardiac death and ventricular fibrillation 3
- Licorice root - can cause hypertension and electrolyte disturbances 8, 9
- High-dose omega-3 fatty acids - paradoxically increase atrial fibrillation risk 10
Beetroot is conspicuously absent from all lists of arrhythmogenic supplements across multiple comprehensive guideline reviews 3, 9.
Mechanism of Action
Beetroot works through nitrate → nitrite → nitric oxide conversion, which:
- Reduces oxygen cost of exercise
- Enhances vascular function
- Lowers blood pressure
- Does not interfere with cardiac electrical conduction 11, 1
Clinical Bottom Line
Beetroot supplementation is safe from an arrhythmia standpoint and is actively recommended by major cardiovascular societies as part of dietary approaches to hypertension management. The only documented side effect is harmless discoloration of urine and potential minor gastrointestinal upset 11. If a patient reports palpitations while taking beetroot, investigate other causes rather than attributing it to the supplement.