The Surprising Health Benefits of Beets: A Simple Way to Lower Blood Pressure

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), high blood pressure is a major or contributing factor in more than 1,000 deaths per day in the United States. Medical researchers who have studied the effects of beets on blood pressure in individuals with hypertension have arrived at groundbreaking conclusions: it turns out that just one glass of beet juice per day significantly reduces high blood pressure, thanks to its high levels of compounds like nitric oxide (NO) that relax and dilate blood vessels.

This finding is based on a meta-analysis of 16 trials conducted since 2013, with results published in The Journal of Nutrition. "High blood pressure is a serious public health concern today," explains Professor Emerita Ahluwalia from the Department of Vascular Pharmacology at Queen Mary University of London. "It increases the risk of more dangerous health conditions like heart attacks, strokes, and chronic heart failure. High blood pressure is a major risk factor for kidney disease, so it was important for us to find a way to significantly reduce it."

The researchers discovered that the nitric oxide found in beets is also present in leafy vegetables like lettuce and cabbage, where it is also in high concentration.

Professor Emerita and her colleagues studied 64 people aged 18-85 who suffered from high blood pressure. Half of them were on regular medication for blood pressure, while the other half had been diagnosed with hypertension but had not yet started medication.

Participants were randomly divided into two groups: one group consumed a 250-milliliter (ml) glass of beet juice, while the other group had the same, except their beet juice was nitrate-free. Each group drank the juice daily for a whole month, and the results were promising. "Patients who received beet juice containing inorganic nitrate experienced a significant reduction in systolic blood pressure, returning it to a normal range."

However, once they stopped drinking the juice, their blood pressure returned to high levels. "This is the first study where we see evidence of the long-term benefit of nitrate supplementation in patients with high blood pressure," explains the lead researcher, adding that she hopes the research will deepen and lead to even more significant findings in the near future.