Beetroot Juice Lowers Blood Pressure

Author: Marko Balašević Time for reading: ~1 minutes Last Updated: August 08, 2022

According to experts, the benefits of beets are due to the high content of nitrates.

A glass of beet juice has an almost immediate effect on lowering blood pressure, experts say.

Within hours of drinking, systolic blood pressure drops by an average of 4-5 points, a new study shows.

Surprisingly, only one dose of juice was observed, said researcher Dr. Leah Coles of the Diabetes Institute in Melbourne, Australia. Accordingly, it is expected that with regular consumption of the drink, its beneficial effects will be available in the long run, the expert added.

Previous studies have shown a drop in blood pressure due to consumption of beet juice in the laboratory. However, the new study is the first to look at the effects of adding the drink to the diet without special diets or major lifestyle changes.

The experiment involved 15 men and 15 women who consumed about 500 ml of juice, including 3/4 beet juice and 1/4 apple juice, or placebo. Participants were then monitored for 24 hours. The same procedure was repeated two weeks later, with placebo drinkers drinking beet juice this time.

In both men and women, there is a tendency to lower systolic blood pressure 6 hours after juice consumption.

The effect was found to be stronger in males. In analyzing the results of the men in the study, the researchers recorded a significant reduction in blood pressure, by about 4.7 points among consumers of the red natural drink.

According to experts, the benefits of beets are due to the high content of nitrates.

Nitrates from food sources, such as beets and green leafy vegetables, are converted to nitric oxide when absorbed by the body. Nitric oxide relaxes blood vessels and dilates them, which facilitates blood flow and helps lower blood pressure.

The results of the study are reported in the Nutrition Journal .

Beetroot Juice Lowers Blood Pressure

Related Articles