Guide
Beetroot and medications: what to check
Beetroot isn't a blood thinner and doesn't work through warfarin's mechanism. The clearest reason for caution is dietary nitrate's overlap with the nitric-oxide pathway targeted by prescription nitrates and PDE-5 inhibitors.
Beetroot is not a blood thinner. A blood thinner is a medication — warfarin and direct oral anticoagulants are examples — that changes how blood clots; beetroot doesn't work through that mechanism and isn't classified as one. The more relevant overlap is with the nitric-oxide pathway, which is why prescription nitrates, PDE-5 inhibitors and blood pressure medications are the ones worth asking a doctor about.
Warfarin and other blood thinners
Beetroot isn't a blood thinner and doesn't work through the clotting-factor or platelet mechanisms that warfarin and other anticoagulants do. We haven't found a trial testing an interaction between beetroot and warfarin specifically. If you take warfarin or another anticoagulant, mention any new supplement to your doctor, as a general practice rather than because of a documented beetroot-specific finding.
Prescription nitrates and PDE-5 inhibitors
This is the one interaction with real pharmacology behind it, even though it hasn't been tested for beetroot directly. A 2023 clinical review describes a well-documented interaction between PDE-5 inhibitors (such as sildenafil) and prescription organic nitrate medications (such as nitroglycerin): combining them can cause a dangerous, hemodynamically significant drop in blood pressure, because both raise nitric oxide activity through the same pathway. That review is about prescription nitrate drugs, not dietary nitrate from a food such as beetroot, and we haven't found a trial testing whether a beetroot supplement interacts the same way. Given the shared mechanism, ask your doctor before combining a beetroot supplement with a PDE-5 inhibitor or a prescription nitrate medication.
Medications for the heart and circulation
We haven't found a trial testing beetroot supplementation against blood pressure medications generally. Ask your doctor if you take one, since the nitric-oxide overlap described above is a plausible, if untested, reason for caution.
Statins
We haven't found research testing an interaction between beetroot and statins (such as atorvastatin). As with any prescription medication, mention a new supplement to your doctor or pharmacist as routine practice.
ACE inhibitors (lisinopril and similar)
We haven't found research testing an interaction between beetroot and ACE inhibitors specifically. The same general caution above about medications that affect blood pressure applies.
Summary table
| Medication | What the research shows | What to ask about |
|---|---|---|
| Warfarin / other blood thinners | No trial found; beetroot isn't a blood thinner and works through a different mechanism | Mention any new supplement, as routine practice |
| PDE-5 inhibitors (sildenafil) / prescription nitrates | No trial found for beetroot specifically; a well-documented interaction exists between the drugs themselves via the nitric-oxide pathway | Ask before combining, given the shared mechanism |
| Blood pressure medications generally | No trial found | Ask your doctor, given the same nitric-oxide overlap |
| Statins | No research found | Mention any new supplement, as routine practice |
| ACE inhibitors (lisinopril) | No research found | Same general caution as other blood pressure medications |
Questions people ask
Is beetroot a blood thinner?
No. Blood thinners are medications that change how blood clots. Beetroot doesn't work through that mechanism and isn't classified as one.
Can you take beetroot with blood thinners?
We haven't found a trial testing this specifically. Mention any new supplement, including beetroot, to your doctor if you're on an anticoagulant such as warfarin or a DOAC.
Does beetroot interact with any medications?
The clearest reason for caution is the overlap between beetroot's dietary nitrate and the nitric-oxide pathway targeted by prescription nitrates and PDE-5 inhibitors — a documented interaction between those drugs, though not tested for beetroot directly. Beyond that, we haven't found trials testing beetroot against specific drug classes such as statins or ACE inhibitors.
Should I change a medication because I take beetroot?
No. Beetroot is a food-derived supplement, and nothing in the research above supports changing or stopping a prescribed medication because of it. Any change to a prescribed medication is a conversation for the prescribing doctor.
Related reading: who should not take beetroot, beetroot side effects, and how much beetroot should you take a day.
Sources
- Phosphodiesterase Type 5 Inhibitors and Oral Nitrates in Male Patients with Ischemic Heart Disease PDE-5 inhibitors (like sildenafil) and prescription nitrate medications (like nitroglycerin) can interact dangerously through a shared nitric-oxide pathway; this review is about the prescription drugs, not dietary nitrate from beetroot, but the shared mechanism is the reason doctors are often asked about combining nitrate-rich supplements with these medications.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
