But what's the truth about beetroot?
Beetroot is a dark red vegetable with an acquired taste which has been getting a lot of coverage in the news. It has been linked with better stamina, improved blood flood and lower blood pressure.
But what's the truth about beetroot?
Beetroot facts
The website lovebeetroot.co.uk says the vegetable became popular in Roman times and it was used to treat fever, constipation, wounds, skin problems - and was used as an aphrodisiac.
Most beetroot on sale is round and red, but yellow, white and stripy versions are available.
The beetroot taste is described as sweet, earthy and tender to eat. It is grown in the ground and is related to turnips, swedes and sugar beet.
Beetroot has featured in recipes from top chefs including Jamie Oliver and Heston Blumenthal.
If you're considering beetroot as one of your 5-a-day, it contains potassium, magnesium, iron, vitamins A, B6 and C, folic acid, carbohydrates, protein, antioxidants and soluble fibre.
Beetroot for blood pressure management
Researchers have known for some time that juice may help lower blood pressure, but in 2010 UK researchers revealed that nitrate is the special ingredient in beetroot which lowers blood pressure and may help to fight heart disease.
In a Queen Mary University of London study, healthy participants had to drink a glass of beetroot juice while others had a dummy (placebo) drink. Others took nitrate tablets.
Blood pressure was lowered within 24 hours in people who took nitrate tablets and those who drank beetroot juice.
The researchers admitted to BootsWebMD that beetroot juice is a love it or hate it kind of drink, but found people in the study didn?t mind it so much when they were drinking it every day.
People with very high blood pressure can end up being on multiple tablets, so a more natural approach could prove popular if the initial research results are confirmed.
The study was funded by the British Heart Foundation and is published online in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension.
Beetroot for the brain and dementia
Drinking beetroot juice increases blood flow to the brain in older people, which may be able to fight the progression of dementia, a 2010 study suggested.
Beetroot contains high concentrations of nitrates, which are converted into nitrites by bacteria in the mouth. Nitrites help open blood vessels in the body, increasing blood flow and oxygen to places lacking in oxygen.
Previous studies have shown that nitrites widen blood vessels, but US researchers writing in Nitric Oxide: Biology and Chemistry, the peer-reviewed journal of the Nitric Oxide Society, say theirs was the first to find that nitrites also increase blood flow to the brain.
Beetroot: Keep on running
A US study in 2011 found eating cooked beetroot before a race gave runners a 41 second advantage over a 5k run compared to runners given cranberry relish as a comparison.
The theory is the nitrates in beetroot are converted into nitric oxide by the body. The nitric oxide dilates blood vessels. That results in improved oxygen delivery - and that gave a performance boost.
The researchers stressed that moderation is important, with reports of some exercisers drinking beetroot juice to boost performance and then being sick during exercise.
Beetroot side effects
There are some interesting side effects of eating too much beetroot. It can turn urine pink, which can be mistaken for blood in the urine.
If you get kidney stones because of too much calcium, you may be advised to cut down on oxalates in your diet. Beetroot is just one food which contains oxalates, which prevent calcium from being absorbed by your body allowing it to build up as stones in the kidney.
The British Dietetic Association says beetroot contains flavonoids called anthocyanins which are responsible for the deep pigments. Anthocyanins, the BDA says, can help with recovery from the stress of exercise during training and competition as well as helping to counter the effects of pollution on the body.
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