It acts directly on blood vessels and blood pressure.
Silent, high blood pressure is characterized by too high blood pressure in the arteries. In the long term, the consequences can be serious: myocardial infarction, stroke, kidney failure, etc. To maintain good cardiovascular health, you must have a healthy lifestyle and this includes diet. Among the unsuspected allies, a very common vegetable has antihypertensive benefits. We forget it too often…
The ideal is to consume it in the form of juice. It then contains “nitrates that our body transforms into nitric oxide”explains Dr Amir Khan, British doctor. These nitrates make it possible to “dilate blood vessels, which lowers blood pressure and preserves the health of the cells inside the vessels”he continues in a video. Researchers have studied the effects of this vegetable. In a study published in the journal “Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases”, they compared taking its juice to a placebo in nearly 350 hypertensive patients. Their results confirmed a significant reduction in systolic blood pressure of -5.31 mmHg in hypertensive people who drank this juice. Better yet, “the effect on blood pressure is significant up to 90 days of intervention”specify the researchers.
The vegetable in question is beets. Nutritionally, it actually presents a particularly interesting profile for cardiovascular health. It is naturally rich in potassium (around 300 mg per 100 g), a mineral that helps counterbalance the effects of sodium on blood pressure. It is also a good source of folate (vitamin B9), essential for the proper functioning of the cardiovascular system, and provides fiber as well as betalains, powerful antioxidants responsible for its characteristic red color.
“All that, to manage your blood pressure, it’s really not bad!”reacted Dr Khan. And the good news is that the juice reduces “blood pressure without signs of developing tolerance”add the scientists. In short, it continues to be effective even if the body gets used to it.
Beetroot is accessible, inexpensive and tasty. It has what it takes to establish itself as a daily ally of choice to take care of our hearts. Ideally, the doctor recommends drinking it “around 250 ml per day” or a large glass of beet juice. Be careful though, “If you have diabetes, this can cause your blood sugar to spike.”. He also recommends “reduce your salt intake” and reminds that “eating more bananas is beneficial for blood pressure”. This nutritional advice complements medicinal treatment but cannot replace it.
