Beetroot and Iron: What the Research Does and Doesn't Show

The evidence doesn't support beetroot as a meaningful source of dietary iron, or as a stand-in for standard medical care for iron-deficiency anemia. Beetroot itself is low in iron — about 0.8 mg per 100 g. One small, non-randomized 12-week study measured higher antioxidant markers, alongside a hemoglobin correlation, in a group taking a beetroot capsule — a single, unreplicated finding.

What the evidence doesn't support

It doesn't support beetroot, in any form, as a meaningful dietary source of iron — the root itself contains relatively little. It doesn't support beetroot capsules, juice or powder as a replacement for standard medical evaluation or iron therapy for anyone diagnosed with iron-deficiency anemia. And it doesn't support the idea, sometimes implied by "beetroot is rich in iron" search results, that beetroot's well-known red pigment has anything to do with actual iron content — the color comes from betalain pigments, unrelated to iron.

What the trials found

Raw beetroot provides roughly 0.8 mg of iron per 100 g — a small amount next to the 8-18 mg most adults need daily, and well below foods more commonly relied on for dietary iron, like red meat, legumes or fortified cereals. That figure describes the vegetable's composition, not a clinical trial.

The one study we found testing beetroot supplementation specifically in people with iron-deficiency anemia was a 2024 quasi-experimental study at a single public-sector hospital — not a randomized trial. It enrolled 120 adults at two hemoglobin levels: 60 people below the World Health Organization's 11 g/dL cutoff, who then took a 1500 mg dried beetroot powder capsule daily for 12 weeks, and 60 people at or above that cutoff, who did not. Researchers measured antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase) and vitamins A, C and E in both groups. At the study's start, both antioxidant enzymes and the three vitamins were significantly below the levels seen in the higher-hemoglobin group. After 12 weeks of beetroot supplementation, both antioxidant enzymes and the three vitamins had risen significantly from that starting point, and the participants with the highest post-treatment hemoglobin also had the highest antioxidant-enzyme readings — a correlation, not a controlled measure of what raised hemoglobin. The published abstract and methods don't say whether the anemia group also received standard iron therapy during those 12 weeks, which leaves an important gap: without that detail, the study can't rule out that any hemoglobin change came from something other than the beetroot capsule. It's also a single trial, from one hospital, not independently replicated, and not randomized — a real limitation on how far the correlation it found can be extended.

Separately, beeturia — pink or red urine after eating beets — is documented as more common in people who are iron-deficient, per a clinical review on the topic. That's an association worth knowing about (it can be a coincidental clue, not a symptom to worry about), not evidence that beetroot changes iron levels one way or the other.

Questions people ask

Does beetroot have iron?

Some — about 0.8 mg per 100 g raw — but not a meaningful amount next to a typical adult's daily need. It isn't considered a significant dietary iron source the way red meat, legumes or fortified grains are.

Does beetroot juice have more iron than the root?

We haven't found data specifically measuring iron content in beetroot juice versus the whole root. Juicing doesn't add iron; if anything, it removes fiber and other components left behind in pulp, so there's no documented reason juice would be a richer iron source.

Is beetroot good for iron deficiency anemia?

One small, non-randomized study found antioxidant-marker increases that correlated with hemoglobin in people with iron-deficiency anemia taking a beetroot capsule for 12 weeks — but it's a single, unreplicated trial that didn't clearly separate beetroot's effect from any standard iron therapy the group might also have received. That's a single, unreplicated correlation — not enough evidence to draw a conclusion about what beetroot does for anemia one way or the other.

Can beetroot replace iron supplements?

No trial has tested that question directly, and the evidence above doesn't support it. Iron-deficiency anemia is a diagnosis that's evaluated and treated medically; a beetroot supplement isn't a substitute for that care.

When to talk to a doctor

Iron-deficiency anemia is diagnosed with a blood test and treated based on its cause — diet, blood loss, absorption, or something else — which is a determination for a doctor, not a supplement choice. If you suspect you're iron-deficient (fatigue, pale skin, shortness of breath are common reasons people get tested), that's worth raising with a doctor directly. Beetroot, in any form, is not a treatment for iron-deficiency anemia.