To Your Health
August, 2024 (Vol. 18, Issue 08) |
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Beets for a Healthy Heart
By Editorial Staff
Heart disease is the #1 cause of death among both men and women, but after menopause, a woman's risk increases dramatically. Why? Factors such as declining levels of reproductive hormones, hot flashes and night sweats associated with menopause all may play a role in elevating blood pressure and other cardiovascular risk factors.
Beets to the rescue, suggests research that evaluated whether daily consumption of beetroot juice can improve blood vessel function, thereby reducing heart disease risk. Because beets contain high levels of nitrates, which the body converts to nitric oxide (which helps blood vessels expand), researchers speculated that drinking the juice could benefit heart health compared to not drinking it.
In their experiment, the researchers randomly assigned participants to drink two 2.3-ounce bottles of beetroot juice on day one, followed by one bottle a day for one week. The concentrated beetroot juice provided the equivalent of three large beets in terms of nitrate content. Several weeks later, all participants began drinking beetroot juice with the nitrates removed for comparison. When women were drinking the beetroot juice (with nitrates), blood flow improved to a significantly greater degree than when they were drinking the juice with the nitrates removed.
The good news is that beets aren't the only vegetable that contain nitrates; green, leafy veggies such as spinach and kale, as well as celery, are other nitrate-rich foods – and they're also part of a heart-healthy diet in their own right.
