Beetroot Juice Lowers Blood Pressure

Drinking a glass of beetroot juice can lower your blood pressure, say researchers.

Researchers from Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne, Australia, found that within hours of drinking beetroot juice, a group of healthy men saw their blood pressure drop by an average of four to five points.

While that number may seem small, WebMD writes that "on a public health level a reduction like that would equate to a 10 percent reduction in deaths due to heart disease."

"It's promising that we can see an effect from a single dose," the New York Daily News quoted Dr. Leah Coles as saying.

"That effect might be even greater over the long term if they are drinking it day upon day," Coles said.

The study involved 15 men and 15 women who drank 17.6 ounces of a drink containing about three-fourths beetroot juice and one-fourth apple juice or a placebo drink.

Among both men and women, blood pressure levels dropped six hours after drinking the beet juice. But it was the men who saw the most significant difference, an average of about 4.7 points among the beetroot juice drinkers.

While beetroots contain heart-healthy compounds like vitamins C and K, fiber and polyphenols, scientists claim it's the high nitrate content that's likely responsible for the ability to reduce blood pressure.

The study has been published in the Nutrition Journal.

Source: ANI