Beetroot shot side effects, from pink pee to when to call your GP

Nobody mentions the colour change until you've had a moment of alarm in the bathroom, so this is what a daily beetroot shot can do to your body and what deserves a phone call.

Beetroot shot side effects are mostly a matter of colour, with pink or red pee the best known. A University of Sheffield study of beetroot-coloured urine notes it's said to occur in 10-14% of people, and the NHS confirms beetroot can do this. If you suspect blood, get it checked instead of assuming.

Key takeaways

• Pink or red pee after beetroot comes from the plant's pigments, and it can look alarming.
• Eating a lot of beetroot can make poo look mixed with blood, though a small shot is a weak explanation for anything that persists.
• If you think there's blood in your pee, the NHS wants it checked even when you're unsure.
• Beetroot is a high-oxalate food, so anyone who has had kidney stones should ask a GP before making it a daily habit.
• The nitrate in beetroot can lower blood pressure, which is worth raising if you already take medicine for it.

What are the most common beetroot shot side effects?

A change of colour, in your pee, your poo, or both.

Beeturia is defined as pink or red urine after eating beetroot. In the Sheffield study, 100 healthy people took 60mg of beetroot extract by mouth, and four of them passed visibly red urine, so at that small amount it was the exception.

Why does a beetroot shot turn your pee pink?

Because the red pigments in beetroot can survive the trip through your gut.

Those pigments, called betacyanins, break down in acid. The Sheffield researchers found no fault in how people's livers or kidneys handled them, and concluded the variation may come largely from how acidic the stomach is and how quickly it empties. Their paper also says beeturia is more common in people with iron deficiency or malabsorption, so mention it to your GP if it keeps happening and you've been feeling run down.

How do you tell beetroot from blood in your pee?

Often you can't, so don't settle it by guesswork.

The NHS page on blood in urine says blood can turn pee bright pink, red, or dark brown, which overlaps with what beetroot does, and it names recent beetroot as a possible explanation. Its instruction is still to get checked if you think there's blood, even a small amount, or if you aren't sure.

The NHS says blood in pee isn't usually anything serious, though it can be a sign of cancer. Ask for an urgent GP appointment or contact NHS 111, and mention the beetroot when you do.

What about red poo?

Usually it's food, and the NHS is careful to add that it isn't always.

Its guidance on bleeding from the bottom says poo can look mixed with blood after a lot of red or purple food, tomatoes and beetroot included. A 60ml shot with beetroot at 19% is a modest amount of beetroot, so don't lean on it to explain a colour that keeps coming back.

The same page sets out when to act:

• See a GP if you've had blood in your poo for 3 weeks.
• Get an urgent GP appointment or call 111 if your poo is black or dark red, or you have bloody diarrhoea.
• Go to A&E or call 999 if the bleeding won't stop or there's a lot of blood.

Can a beetroot shot upset your stomach?

It can, and the ginger is the first ingredient to look at.

We couldn't find a trial measuring gut symptoms from beetroot juice specifically. The European Medicines Agency's ginger monograph does list stomach upset, burping, indigestion, heartburn, and nausea as common, and our beetroot blend carries ginger root at 13%. Our guide to ginger shot side effects covers how to ease them.

Can a beetroot shot lower your blood pressure too much?

The main UK trial points to a welcome drop, and a much bigger drink than a shot produced it.

Beetroot is rich in nitrate, which is why it's studied for blood pressure at all. In a trial at Queen Mary University of London, funded by the British Heart Foundation, 68 people with high blood pressure drank 250ml of beetroot juice a day for four weeks. Clinic readings fell by 7.7/2.4 mmHg against a nitrate-free version, half the group were already on treatment, and the juice was well tolerated.

A 60ml shot holds far less beetroot than those glasses, though direct evidence on shots is limited. If you take blood pressure medicine, speak to your GP or pharmacist before starting a daily one. The NHS page on low blood pressure lists lightheadedness, blurred vision, and fainting among the symptoms, with a GP visit if they keep coming back.

Do beetroot shots cause kidney stones?

We found no study testing that directly. The concern is oxalate, so ask first if you've had stones.

A review of oxalate in food names beet among the common high-oxalate foods, alongside rhubarb and spinach, and says extra oxalic acid may contribute to stones in the urinary tract. It also says occasional high-oxalate food in a nutritious diet poses no particular problem. A daily habit isn't occasional, and while soaking and cooking leach oxalate out, a cold-crushed juice has had neither.

Turmeric raises the same question. In a small crossover study of 11 healthy adults, supplemental turmeric raised urinary oxalate more than cinnamon or no supplement, and the authors suggested that could add to stone risk in susceptible people. The NHS kidney stones guidance doesn't name oxalate at all, but it does say to speak to your doctor before changing your diet to prevent stones. Follow that.

Who should check before starting one?

Anyone with a relevant condition or a regular prescription.

• Anyone who has had kidney stones.
• Anyone on blood pressure medicine.
• Anyone on a blood thinner, since the blend contains both ginger and turmeric. Our guide to ginger and blood thinners goes through it.
• Anyone with gallstones or a bile duct problem, which the Welsh Medicines Advice Service lists as reasons to avoid turmeric. Our guide to turmeric and gallstones explains why.
• Anyone pregnant, as the NHS asks you to check with a pharmacist before taking ginger supplements.

Which beetroot shot is ours, if those checks are clear?

Raw Turmeric & Beetroot, our performance support blend.

Raw Turmeric & Beetroot combines beetroot at 19% with pomegranate, ginger root at 13%, lemon, and turmeric root at 10%, in a cold-crushed, whole watermelon-based blend with vitamin C and thiamine. It also carries our trade-secret BioMax Uptake Blend®, which includes black pepper, at a 0.1% inclusion. Our guide to what a beetroot shot is covers the rest.

The takeaway

Most beetroot shot side effects are harmless and a little startling, chiefly pink pee and reddish poo. The exceptions are the ones to take seriously: possible blood gets checked, a history of kidney stones gets a conversation with your GP, and so does a regular prescription.

With those covered, one Raw Turmeric & Beetroot with breakfast is an easy daily habit.

Frequently asked questions