Have high blood pressure? Maybe you need some beetroot juice
Beetroots, also known as regular table beets, aren’t something on most people’s everyday diet list. Often reserved for special occasions, this food may require an acquired taste, especially for those who aren’t fans of vegetables in general. If you have high blood pressure, however, you might want to start working more of this purplish red root vegetable into your meal plan even if you aren’t partial to the flavor. SEE ALSO: Looking for a high blood pressure cure? It’s easier than you think According to new research from Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) in the UK, you don’t even have to actually chew beetroot to gain it’s benefits. Just one glass of beetroot juice a day is enough to significantly decrease blood pressure in patients who have hypertension. The reason beetroot juice is so effective, explained researchers, is because it contains high levels of the substance inorganic nitrate. Nitrates are converted by the body to nitric oxide, a molecule that relaxes and widens blood vessels and affects how efficiently cells use oxygen. In the study, participants who were on the beetroot supplementation plan experienced approximately 20 percent improvement in blood vessel dilation capacity and around a 10 percent reduction in arterial stiffness. They also experienced an average decrease in blood pressure of about 8/4 mmHg, which was enough to bring the majority back down into normal blood pressure range. These findings are exciting because weve now tested the effectiveness of dietary nitrate in reducing blood pressure in 64 patients, over a sustained period of time, and found it works,” stated lead author, Professor Amrita Ahluwalia, in a press release. “Plus its so easy for patients to work this into their daily lives and see a positive benefit. The next step will hopefully be to run a large-scale Phase Three clinical trial so we can determine whether the impact of dietary nitrate is sustained long-term, and whether this should be recommended in NHS guidelines. SEE ALSO: Top 5 foods to help you control high blood pressure Ahluwalia’s research takes using beetroot supplements toward a reasonable goal of improved heart health. For many years, beetroot was heralded as a performance enhancer for athletes due to theorized improved oxygenation and blood flow to muscles. That theory was debunked, however, earlier in 2015 by Penn State researchers, who determined beetroot juice “did not enhance muscle blood flow or vascular dilation during exercise…[but] did “de-stiffen” blood vessels under resting conditions, potentially easing the workload of the heart.” Experts are optimistic about the findings, suggesting beetroot supplements could eliminate some individuals’ needs for prescription medication.The post Have high blood pressure? Maybe you need some beetroot juice appeared first on Voxxi.
Beetroots, also known as regular table beets, aren’t something on most people’s everyday diet list.
Often reserved for special occasions, this food may require an acquired taste, especially for those who aren’t fans of vegetables in general. If you have high blood pressure, however, you might want to start working more of this purplish red root vegetable into your meal plan even if you aren’t partial to the flavor.
SEE ALSO: Looking for a high blood pressure cure? It’s easier than you think
According to new research from Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) in the UK, you don’t even have to actually chew beetroot to gain it’s benefits. Just one glass of beetroot juice a day is enough to significantly decrease blood pressure in patients who have hypertension.
The reason beetroot juice is so effective, explained researchers, is because it contains high levels of the substance inorganic nitrate. Nitrates are converted by the body to nitric oxide, a molecule that relaxes and widens blood vessels and affects how efficiently cells use oxygen.
In the study, participants who were on the beetroot supplementation plan experienced approximately 20 percent improvement in blood vessel dilation capacity and around a 10 percent reduction in arterial stiffness. They also experienced an average decrease in blood pressure of about 8/4 mmHg, which was enough to bring the majority back down into normal blood pressure range.
These findings are exciting because weve now tested the effectiveness of dietary nitrate in reducing blood pressure in 64 patients, over a sustained period of time, and found it works,” stated lead author, Professor Amrita Ahluwalia, in a press release. “Plus its so easy for patients to work this into their daily lives and see a positive benefit. The next step will hopefully be to run a large-scale Phase Three clinical trial so we can determine whether the impact of dietary nitrate is sustained long-term, and whether this should be recommended in NHS guidelines.
SEE ALSO: Top 5 foods to help you control high blood pressure
Ahluwalia’s research takes using beetroot supplements toward a reasonable goal of improved heart health. For many years, beetroot was heralded as a performance enhancer for athletes due to theorized improved oxygenation and blood flow to muscles. That theory was debunked, however, earlier in 2015 by Penn State researchers, who determined beetroot juice “did not enhance muscle blood flow or vascular dilation during exercise?[but] did “de-stiffen” blood vessels under resting conditions, potentially easing the workload of the heart.”
Experts are optimistic about the findings, suggesting beetroot supplements could eliminate some individuals’ needs for prescription medication.
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The post Have high blood pressure? Maybe you need some beetroot juice appeared first on Voxxi.
