1 – Do beets lower blood pressure?
Researchers have has demonstrated the effectiveness of 1 daily cup of beet juice to lower blood pressure. Individuals having high blood pressure who drank about a cup of beetroot juice each day had a reduction in blood pressure of approximately 10 mm Hg.
Beetroot and nitric oxide
The beetroot juice’s nitrate content is the reason for its blood pressure reducing effects. The nitrate in beetroot juice increases the nitric oxide levels in the blood. There was about 0.2g of dietary nitrate in the beetroot juice, levels equivalent to approximately two beets. The nitrate is first converted in the body to nitrite and then in the blood to nitric oxide, which is a gas that helps to widen the blood vessels and assist with the blood flow.
A reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressure was experienced by the study participants after drinking the beet juice. This reduction persisted even when the nitrite circulating in the bloodstream had returned to the levels prior to beetroot juice consumption. The effect was most pronounced 3 to six 6 after drinking the beet juice and still present 24 hours later.
A meta-analysis of 16 previously conducted studies examining the effects of beetroot supplementation on blood pressure confirmed the association between beetroot juice and blood pressure reduction.
Beetroot juice recipe
1 beetroot, 1 apple, 4 carrots, 1 teaspoon grated ginger. Extract juice from all ingredients with a juice extractor and chill in fridge for half an hour, or drink immediately.
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