
In three separate studies, researchers assigned healthy volunteers to either
potassium nitrate (in doses ranging from 248 mg up to 1488 mg),
potassium chloride, low-nitrate water, plain water, or 250 ml of beetroot juice (roughly 8.5 ounces of the dark purple punch).
The researchers took blood samples and blood pressure readings at the start of the study, and at regular intervals for the following 24 hours.