Excessive beetroot consumption causes methemoglobinemia in elderly man

An 82-year-old man in the United States nearly died after developing methemoglobinemia due to consuming approximately 2.7 kilograms of boiled beetroot and its cooking liquid per week. The clinical case, documented in The Journal of Emergency Medicine, describes how the patient experienced dizziness, extreme weakness, and loss of consciousness.

Medical evaluations revealed that 20.9% of the man's hemoglobin was altered, preventing the blood from effectively transporting oxygen to his tissues despite sufficient dissolved oxygen levels. This condition, characterized by the oxidation of hemoglobin, resulted in low blood pressure and a persistent oxygen saturation of 88% despite high-flow oxygen therapy.

Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, determined that the excessive intake of dietary nitrates from the beetroot, combined with a prescribed nitrate medication for a serious heart condition, triggered the toxic reaction. The patient was eventually stabilized after being administered methylene blue.