Beetroot Juice

Posted on : 27/05/2012

Looking at Health topics here is something you may not have considered.

Is beetroot juice the new super food cure for heart disease?

In recent years scientists have carried out clinical trials and have found that a certain property in beetroot juice, a gas known as nitric oxide has beneficial health affects. Consuming just 250ml of the juice or concentrated shots has been seen to prevent vasoconstriction occurring in the bloods arteries and vessels. This prevents the lumen narrowing therefore in simple terms, as the blood flow is not constricted the blood pressure is reduced. This could be a key treatment to reducing the risk of heart disease therefore preventing a heart attack.

Whilst it has been seen to lower blood pressure it also has been found that respiring muscles will demand less oxygen. Nitric oxide in the blood means that whilst exercising and muscle contraction is occurring the body muscles can reduce their uptake of oxygen. This allows the body to work more efficiently enabling swimmers to hold their breath for longer underwater and runners to run further with delayed fatigue of muscles. Whilst those suffering with haemoglobin deficiencies such as sickle cell anaemia, could benefit from drinking beetroot juice regularly on a daily basis.

It could be considered to use for those who live in high altitude climates and have to adapt to the lower oxygen concentration in the atmosphere. Its health benefits seem to be endless, although more scientific tests and trials need to be carried out on a larger sample of people. These findings need to be taken with caution as other factors contribute to heart disease such as smoking, alcohol consumption, diet and heredity conditions.

Health shops have been keen to offer the so-called super foods to their customers in concentrated shots for a month’s use or 250ml bottles of the juice. In a few months time, this super food could be replaced by another 3 newly discovered super foods. For now it remains as another way to follow a healthy lifestyle, whilst its medicinal powers remain not fully known.