Today, would like to share with you the goodness of beetroot.

The benefits of beetroot on high blood pressure are staggering! They reached top of the list in the high blood pressure foods. If you drink 500ml of beetroot juice every day, it can significantly reduce your blood pressure, according to UK researchers.  When healthy volunteers drank the juice, their blood pressure dropped within the hour.  What was causing this effect?  Nitrates.

These nitrates are also present in other green, leafy vegetables that you are encouraged to eat in your nutrient rich diets.  Professor Amrita Ahluwalia of the William Harvey Research Institute at Barts and the London School of Medicine was leading the research, along with Professor Ben Benjamin of the Peninsula Medical School. How does the nitrate reduce high blood pressure?

When the beetroot is chewed, saliva mixes with it along with bacteria from off the tongue. It is then converted into nitrite. Then we have another chemical reaction when it reaches the stomach. Because the stomach has an acidic environment, another chemical reaction occurs, the nitrite in the saliva turns to nitric oxide or will re-enter the circulation again as nitrite.

Observation showed that the peak time of reduced blood pressure correlated with the peak levels of nitrite in the circulation of those who swallowed their saliva and that was significant because the volunteers who were asked not to swallow during, or for a further 3 hours after chewing the beetroot, did not experience such results.

The Benefits of Beetroot Still Occur Hours Later

The peak drop in blood pressure happened 3 – 4 hours after chewing and swallowing but it went on dropping gradually for up to 24 hours. The leading researcher, Professor Amrita Ahluwalia said: “Our research suggests that drinking beetroot juice or consuming other nitrate-rich vegetables, might be a simple way to maintain a healthy cardiovascular system.  It might also be an additional approach that one could take in the modern day battle against rising blood pressure.”

The Health Benefits of Beetroot

Health benefits of beetroot include cholesterol lowering, liver function support and possible cancer prevention. Studies have demonstrated that red beet products used regularly in the diet may provide protection against certain oxidative stress-related disorders in humans. Cooking beetroot dissolves the cell walls so that digestive juices are able to penetrate.

The Nutrients in Beetroot

Beet greens are a very good source of calcium, iron, Vitamins A and C. Beetroots are an excellent source of folic acid. They are a very good source of fiber, manganese and potassium.  Beet greens and beetroot are a good source of phosphorus, magnesium, iron and vitamin B6.  Betacyanin is the pigment that gives beetroot its color and has powerful antioxidant properties.

Cholesterol Lowering

Beet fiber has been shown to have cholesterol lowering capabilities. In a study on rats with induced high blood cholesterol, a red beet fiber diet caused a reduction of serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels (by 30 and 40%, respectively) and a significant increase in HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol). This diet induced also a significant decrease (almost by 30%) of cholesterol content in the aorta.

Blood Pressure Lowering

Beetroot juice has been shown to lower blood pressure in subjects with normal blood pressure. In healthy volunteers, approximately 3 hours after ingestion of 500 ml of beetroot juice, blood pressure was substantially reduced, an effect that correlated with peak increases in plasma nitrite concentration, nitrite being the blood pressure reducing ingredient.

Cardiovascular Disease Prevention

Betaine, a nutrient found in beets and some other foods lowers plasma homocysteine, a possible risk factor for cardiovascular disease.  Betaine supplements are manufactured as a byproduct of sugar beet processing.  Betaine “supplementation” has however been found to increase blood LDL cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations in healthy humans.  This may undo the potential benefits for cardiovascular health of betaine supplementation through homocysteine lowering.

Liver Function

Beetroot contains the bioactive agent betaine, which supports healthy liver function. When the liver is functioning properly, fats are broken down efficiently, aiding weight loss and preventing fatigue and nausea.

Cancer Prevention

Preliminary tests suggest that beetroot ingestion can be one of the useful means to prevent lung and skin cancer. Other studies have shown that beet juice inhibits the formation of cancer causing compounds called nitrosamines.

What are you waiting for?  The next trip to the market or supermarket, do get some beetroot for your family.