Health · Medical Research · 1 hr ago
US man nearly dies after eating large amounts of beetroot
An 82-year-old man in the US became critically ill after eating nearly three kilograms of cooked beetroot each week and drinking its cooking water.
He felt dizzy and weak, then collapsed and was taken to the emergency department at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Doctors found that about 21 percent of his haemoglobin had changed into methemoglobin, which cannot carry oxygen normally.
The man also took isosorbide mononitrate for heart disease, and doctors suspect its nitrate combined with the beetroot's nitrate to trigger the disorder.
The condition left his blood less able to deliver oxygen to his body, despite oxygen being present in his blood.
A standard medicine quickly improved his condition, and the doctors describe the case as the first known adult case linked to beetroot.
The case matters because large amounts of beetroot may interact with some medicines, though the doctors' explanation is a suspected cause rather than a confirmed one.
An 82-year-old US man nearly died after eating large amounts of cooked beetroot and drinking its cooking water.
Doctors found that about 21 percent of his haemoglobin had become methemoglobin, which cannot carry oxygen normally.
The man’s blood pressure was very low, his skin was slate-grey and a finger monitor showed oxygen saturation of 88 percent.
His doctors suspect nitrate from the beetroot combined with the nitrate-containing heart medicine isosorbide mononitrate.
His condition improved rapidly after doctors gave him a standard treatment for the blood disorder.
- Who
- An 82-year-old man in the United States.
- What
- He developed a life-threatening blood disorder after consuming large amounts of beetroot; doctors found methemoglobinemia.
- When
- After an evening meal; the article was published on 13 October 2026.
- Where
- He was treated in the emergency department at the University of California in Los Angeles.
- Why
- Doctors suspect nitrates from the beetroot combined with his heart medication, isosorbide mononitrate.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The man ate nearly three kilograms of cooked beetroot per week and drank the cooking water.
He became weak and dizzy and collapsed.
Doctors found very low blood pressure, slate-grey skin and about 21 percent methemoglobin.
His condition improved rapidly after doctors administered a standard medication for the blood disorder.
- Age
- 82
- Beetroot consumed
- Nearly 3 kilograms of cooked beetroot per week
- Oxygen saturation reading
- 88 percent
- Methemoglobin level
- About 21 percent of haemoglobin
- Hospital
- University of California in Los Angeles
- Suspected contributing medication
- Isosorbide mononitrate
Sources
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