Beetroot Dosage: How Much Nitrate (6-13 mmol / 372-800 mg)
Educational summary — not medical advice. See the blood-pressure page for the oxalate/kidney-stone and blood-pressure-medication cautions.
The honest answer
The studied dose is measured in nitrate, not beetroot: about 6–13 mmol/day (~372–800 mg). The minimum effective dose is ~6 mmol (372 mg); the benefit plateaus near 8.4 mmol (~520 mg). Convert with 1 mmol = 62 mg. The critical caveat: you usually can't hit a known dose, because labels almost never disclose nitrate — only 1 of 16 products we track does.
The key thing most people get wrong: the dose is nitrate
Beetroot's benefit comes from inorganic nitrate, which the body converts nitrate → nitrite → nitric oxide. So the research doses in mmol of nitrate, not grams of beetroot. The classic dose-response trial gave 4.2, 8.4, and 16.8 mmol: 4.2 mmol did nothing, 8.4 mmol lowered the oxygen cost of exercise ~1.7% and extended time-to-task-failure ~14%, and 16.8 mmol added no further benefit — the effect plateaus around 8.4 mmol (Wylie 2013). The umbrella review echoes this: effects are more pronounced at ≥6 mmol/day and with several days of dosing (Poon 2025).
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| How much? | ~6–13 mmol nitrate/day (~372–800 mg) |
| Minimum effective? | ~6 mmol (372 mg) — below this (e.g. 4.2 mmol) trials show no effect |
| Any point going higher? | Benefit plateaus ~8.4 mmol (~520 mg); 16.8 mmol added nothing |
| Conversion | 1 mmol NO3- = 62 mg |
| A 70 mL "shot"? | Typically ~6.4–8.4 mmol — usually the most reliable way to hit the dose |
| Can I verify it from the label? | Usually no — nitrate is almost never disclosed |
Nitrate converter: are you actually hitting a studied dose?
This only works if your product discloses nitrate — most don't, which is the whole point. If you have a disclosed nitrate figure per serving, enter it with your servings per day to see your daily nitrate in mg and mmol, and what % of the 372 mg studied floor you're getting.
Where to find the number: look for an explicit "nitrate (NO3) ___ mg" on the Supplement Facts panel, or an extract "standardized to X% nitrate" (then nitrate mg ≈ extract mg × X%). If the label only says "beetroot 1,000 mg," "20:1 extract," or "6,000 mg equivalent," the nitrate is undisclosed — you can't use this, and that's the finding.
How to take it
- Target ~6–8.4 mmol (~372–520 mg) of nitrate — more than ~8.4 mmol adds little (Wylie 2013).
- Time it to the goal. For an acute exercise effect, most trials dosed ~2–3 hours before; nitrite peaks in that window. For blood pressure, several days of daily dosing is what was studied.
- Prioritize a disclosed nitrate figure over a big milligram number. A concentrated shot or an extract standardized to a stated nitrate % is the only way to know the dose — see the nitrate label trap.
- Don't rinse with antibacterial mouthwash around dosing — it kills the oral bacteria that start the nitrate→nitrite conversion.
The transparency pick
There is no product here that both discloses nitrate and hits the studied dose. The closest to honest is the only one that prints an actual nitrate figure — useful precisely because you can verify it, even though a single serving is well under the floor. Full ranking on best beetroot.
Discloses ~24 mg nitrate/serving (extract standardized to a stated nitrate %) — the rare exception. But 24 mg is only ~6% of the 372 mg studied floor, so you'd need several servings to approach a researched dose.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Ranked by disclosed nitrate, never commissions.
Frequently asked questions
How much beetroot should I take per day?
Measured in nitrate: ~6–13 mmol/day (~372–800 mg; 1 mmol = 62 mg). Minimum effective ~6 mmol (372 mg); plateau ~8.4 mmol (~520 mg). A 70 mL shot is typically ~6.4–8.4 mmol.
How do I convert mmol of nitrate to mg?
Multiply by 62 (the molar mass of nitrate). So 6 mmol ≈ 372 mg, 8.4 mmol ≈ 520 mg, 13 mmol ≈ 800 mg.
Why can't I tell how much nitrate is in my supplement?
Because labels print root/extract weight, not nitrate, and testing found >200-fold variation. Only 1 of 16 products we track discloses a nitrate figure — and it's ~24 mg, ~6% of the 372 mg floor.
Powder or shot for hitting the dose?
A concentrated shot dosed to a stated nitrate content is most reliable (~6.4–8.4 mmol per 70 mL). Powders/capsules are cheaper but rarely disclose nitrate, so you can't confirm the dose.
Related
- The nitrate label trap — why the big milligram number isn't the dose
- Best beetroot — ranked by disclosure, then cost per 100 mg nitrate
- Beetroot for blood pressure — the evidence and the safety cautions
Sources
- Wylie LJ, et al. "Beetroot juice and exercise: pharmacodynamic and dose-response relationships." J Appl Physiol. 2013. PMID: 23640589
- Poon ET, et al. "Dietary Nitrate Supplementation and Exercise Performance: An Umbrella Review." Sports Med. 2025. PMID: 40085422
- Lundberg JO, et al. "The nitrate-nitrite-nitric oxide pathway in physiology and therapeutics." Nat Rev Drug Discov. 2008. PMID: 18167491 (conversion pathway).
- Full product dataset: /beetroot/cost-by-brand.json (CC BY 4.0).