SuperBeets is a supplement used to support blood pressure and cardiovascular health. It's manufactured by a brand called HumanN, and the brand claims it's the "#1 Pharmacist Recommended Beet Brand for Heart Health Support."
But does SuperBeets contain research-backed ingredients for heart health? Are powdered beets as healthy as whole beets or beet juice? Are any questionable additives included? And how do real users rate SuperBeets and describe its effects?
In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze two clinical trials on SuperBeets that tested the effects of the supplement on blood pressure.
We'll analyze the ingredients in both SuperBeets powder and SuperBeets Heart Chews to give our take on whether or not they're likely to be effective, and whether or not they're healthy.
We'll also feature real customer reviews, discuss the risk of side effects, and document which retailer currently sells SuperBeets for the best price.
Is SuperBeets Proven to Work?
HumanN funded a clinical trial on SuperBeets, published in the American Journal of Physiology.
The trial tested the effects of the supplement on various cardiovascular parameters including blood pressure.
In older adults, SuperBeets caused a 4% reduction in blood pressure after four weeks of supplementation.
The baseline blood pressure levels of the trial participants were already within a healthy range, so we'd be interested to see if the results are even more pronounced in individuals with high blood pressure.
It's notable that the study used a dose of 10 grams (g), while the serving size of SuperBeets based on the Nutrition Facts label of the product is only 5 g.
This suggests that individuals taking SuperBeets for cardiovascular benefits may want to consider taking double the recommended dose.
An unsponsored 2018 clinical trial compared the effects of various beet products (including SuperBeets) on blood pressure.
A concentrated beetroot drink and a beetroot flapjack both reduced blood pressure, but SuperBeets did not.
Based on the available research, we consider SuperBeets to be potentially effective for cardiovascular support and blood pressure support.
It's a sign of a high-quality brand to fund clinical trials that are published in peer-reviewed journals.
However, it's not particularly impressive in our opinion that SuperBeets was shown to reduce blood pressure in the trial funded by the manufacturer, but not in the trial that was unsponsored.
SuperBeets Ingredient Analysis
The ingredients in SuperBeets Heart Powder are shown above.
Beet powder and fermented beet powder are unsurprisingly the main active ingredients in SuperBeets.
The company appears to use conventional beets, while organic beet products were shown in a 2014 clinical trial to have higher nutrient levels, and greater anticancer activity.
HumanN doesn't currently publish the active ingredient doses, which is a disservice to consumers.
We know the entire serving is a 5 g dose, but what percentage of that serving is beets? Without this information, it's hard for consumers (or researchers like us) to make an informed decision about whether or not the supplement is effectively dosed.
Natural apple flavor is a flavoring agent.
While natural flavors are healthier than artificial flavors in our opinion, we prefer avoiding flavoring agents (other than organic flavors) altogether.
As we discussed in our Juice Plus review article on another supplement containing this ingredient, the term "natural flavor" fails to describe the chemical compounds used to create the flavor, which makes it challenging to assess the safety.
Overall, we consider this supplement to be decently formulated, and the formulation analysis is less important in this case than in most supplements because this product has been clinically tested.
Does SuperBeets Cause Side Effects?
It's much easier to assess side effects in supplements tested in clinical trials like SuperBeets.
The clinical trial on SuperBeets did not report any adverse events, which suggests that the supplement was found to cause no side effects.
There is currently no mention of side effects on the SuperBeets Powder or SuperBeets Heart Chews product pages on the HumanN website.
Citric acid can cause inflammatory reactions in some individuals (as we'll discuss in the Chews Ingredient Analysis section next), but this effect appears to be exceedingly rare.
Based on the available evidence, we do not consider SuperBeets likely to cause side effects in healthy individuals.
However, we consider beet powder with zero additives to be even less likely to cause side effects.
Heart Chews Ingredient Analysis
The ingredients in SuperBeets Heart Chews are shown above.
Beet powder is the main active ingredient, at a dose of 500 milligrams (mg).
This may be underdosed in regard to any potential cardiovascular benefit. We can't identify any clinical trials proving this low of a dose of beet powder to be beneficial, nor does HumanN currently cite any on their product page.
Grape seed extract is the only other active ingredient, at a dose of 150 mg which appears to be effective.
A 2013 clinical trial tested the same patented grape seed extract at the same dose used in Heart Chews, and found that systolic blood pressure was reduced from 150 to 123 after 16 weeks of use.
This supplement contains three inactive ingredients we take issue with.
Added sugar is a strange choice for a heart support supplement in our opinion, as it's associated with increased risk of obesity and diabetes when consumed in excess, as we documented in our review of Arbonne products.
While 4 g of added sugar is not an enormous amount, it seems logical to avoid this ingredient in a cardiovascular supplement.
Citric acid is a flavor enhancer and preservative compound that has been shown to cause inflammation in some individuals, as documented in a medical review published in the Toxicology Reports journal.
Natural flavors are ingredients that health-conscious consumers may wish to avoid, as we explained in more detail in the previous Ingredient Analysis section.
Overall, we consider SuperBeets Heart Chews likely to be effective for blood pressure support due to the effective dose of grape seed extract.
Customers Rate SuperBeets
Amazon is a better resource for honest customer reviews than a brand's website in our opinion.
At the time of updating this article, SuperBeets Powder has been reviewed over 37,000 times on Amazon, with an average review rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars.
A top positive review from a verified purchaser comes from a user named "Kakelyfe101" who gave the product a 5/5 rating:
"This is powerfully effective in lowering my heart rate. I’m recent years, my bp has been high so I have cut back on drinking alcohol. Every now and then, I do have an occasional 'social' drink. And when I do, my iwatch alerts me of high heart rate. I can feel my heart beating faster. And so , I mix this and drink it, and my heart rate automatically returns to normal."
A top negative review from a verified purchaser is written by a user named "Michael" who gave the product a 1/5 rating:
"The above mentioned product hardened after first use. Unable to use again. Tried everything. Recently called the company and they said that this is what happens and to contact Amazon. No where on the product was this disclosed. It happened within a week of receiving. I was ill for quite some time and did not address this issue."
A YouTube channel called "Pharmacy Central," run by a pharmacist, discussed the pros and cons of SuperBeets after trying it for several weeks:
Where to Get the Best Price
SuperBeets is sold at a wide variety of online retailers.
Here's a price breakdown at the time of updating this article for a one-time purchase of both of the brand's most popular products:
SuperBeets Heart Powder:
Brand website: $39.95 (plus shipping, link)
Amazon: $37.95 (free shipping, link to official Amazon listing)
Walmart: $36.50 (free shipping, third-party seller, link)
SuperBeets Heart Chews:
Brand website: $39.95 (plus shipping, link)
Amazon: $39.95 (free shipping, third-party seller, link to Amazon listing)
Walmart: $39.95 (plus shipping, link)
We generally recommend purchasing either from the supplement manufacturer or from an official distribution channel.
The Amazon listing for Heart Powder in bold above is from HumanN, and the Walmart listing for Heart Chews is from HumanN.
Our Clean BP Support Picks
Illuminate Labs Ceylon Cinnamon Extract is our top herbal BP support supplement.
Cinnamon supplementation was shown to cause "a significant reduction in both systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure" in a 2020 meta-analysis.
Performance Lab Magnesium is our top mineral BP support supplement.
Magnesium is a mineral that "may reduce blood pressure (BP) as much as 5.6/2.8 mm Hg" when dosed between 500 mg per day and 1,000 mg per day according to a medical review published in The Journal of Clinical Hypertension.
We are not recommending the use of these supplements to treat any specific medical condition; rather, sharing clinical research that may benefit some consumers.
SuperBeets Pros and Cons
Here are the pros and cons of SuperBeets in our opinion:
Pros:
- Powder product clinically shown to work
- Effective formulations
- No seriously questionable additive ingredients
- Positive Amazon reviews
Cons:
- Powder formulation contains flavoring agents
- Conventional (non-organic) beet sourcing
- Powder formulation not shown to reduce BP in unsponsored study
- Chews contain added sugar
- Chews contain citric acid
- Chews contain natural flavors
- Expensive compared to whole beets or beetroot juice
- Brand's website charges for shipping
