Can Beets Beat High Blood Pressure?

Beyond being a treat for the eyes, with its gorgeous deep red color, beet juice serves up some pretty attractive health benefits --  especially for people who need to bring down their blood pressure. Drinking beet juice appears to have a protective effect on blood vessels, which helps keep blood pressure under control, according to researchers from the UK. To learn more about the study and what it means for consumers like you and me, I contacted researcher Amrita Ahluwalia, PhD, a professor of vascular pharmacology at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry.

NITRATES IN BEETS PROTECT BLOOD VESSELS

In the study, 14 people with normal blood pressure drank two cups of either pure beet juice (with no additives) or water. Dr. Ahluwalia and her colleagues checked the participants' blood pressure at regular intervals both before and after ingestion. They found that... Blood pressure began to drop in the beet group about 60 minutes after drinking the juice.

Blood pressure reached its lowest level in the beet group two to three hours after drinking the juice (a reduction of approximately 10 mmHg systolic at two and a half hours and 8 mmHg diastolic at three hours).

No similar impact was observed in the control group, who drank water. Dr. Ahluwalia believes the nitrates in beets are what help control blood pressure by protecting blood vessels. She explained that colonies of bacteria on the back of our tongues chemically change nitrate to nitrite. When we swallow saliva, this nitrite enters the stomach and then crosses into circulation, where it is changed into a very important molecule called nitric oxide (NO). This is a "vasodilator," which means that it opens up blood vessels so blood flows more easily. With less resistance to blood flow, blood pressure comes down.

Results of the study were published in the March 1, 2008, edition of Hypertension.

HBP RX: BEETS

"Our hope is that simple dietary interventions -- such as including more beets and other fresh produce in the diet -- may one day replace some blood pressure medicines," says Dr. Ahluwalia. We're not there yet, however. She advises people with high blood pressure to carefully discuss all treatment options with their doctors before stopping any medication. In the meantime, you can buy fresh beet juice at most health food stores or make it yourself by steaming and juicing several whole beets. If you find beet juice too heavy, lighten it with apple juice. Other excellent sources of nitrates are spinach, lettuce and root vegetables. Two cups of beet juice is a lot, Dr. Ahluwalia notes, so she's currently testing the effect of lesser amounts and will also be studying its effect on people who have high blood pressure.

Source(s):

Amrita Ahluwalia, PhD, professor of vascular pharmacology, Centre for Clinical Pharmacology, William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary, University of London, London, UK.

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