Drinking a vegetable juice daily could help lower your cholesterol and decrease your risk of heart disease. Beetroot juice is packed with vitamin C, soluble fibre, and antioxidants, and it helps regulate sugar, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels, reports el Economista.
While many people cook beetroot as part of a meal, consuming it raw such as in a smoothie, allows you to reap its full benefits. Its high fibre content and antioxidant compounds are believed to aid in the breakdown of fat and the reduction of cholesterol.
Furthermore, beetroot can combat free radicals, unstable atoms that can damage cells and cause illness. The beverage also boosts the immune system, regulates blood sugar levels, and enhances athletic performance by increasing blood flow to the muscles.
Regular consumption of beetroot juice can reduce inflammation in blood vessels, which is known to be elevated in individuals with coronary heart disease, according to research presented to the British Cardiovascular Society. Researchers examined the effects of daily consumption of beetroot juice high in organic nitrate on a person’s nitric oxide levels, which could help reduce inflammation.
Nitric oxide is essential for health as it controls blood pressure and has anti-inflammatory properties. People with heart and circulatory conditions typically produce less of it.
A study was conducted on 114 healthy participants who drank 104ml of beetroot juice, with half receiving nitrate-rich beetroot juice while the others had juice with low levels of nitrate. After consuming the different types of juice, 78 volunteers were administered a typhoid vaccine to induce temporary inflammation in blood vessels, whereas another 36 had cream applied to cause a small blister, simulating localised inflammation.
Tesco is among many retailers that sells the drink. You can pick up a bottle for £3, which works out at about 30p a glass.
The group inoculated with the typhoid vaccine displayed elevated markers of nitric oxide in their blood, urine, and saliva when compared to those who drank low-nitrate juice. They exhibited reduced counts of a white blood cell known as the inflammatory monocyte, and the remaining monocytes showed increased anti-inflammatory properties.
Moreover, those who consumed the high-nitrate juice showed enhanced function of the endothelium, which is crucial for vascular health. Additionally, blisters healed more swiftly amongst the group that ingested nitrate-packed beetroot juice, suggesting that heightened nitric oxide levels could accelerate recovery from inflammation.
Dr Asad Shabbir, a clinical research fellow at Queen Mary University of London, commented: “Inflammation is vital to protect the body from injury and infection. However, in people with coronary heart disease persistent inflammation can exacerbate the furring of the arteries, making their condition worse and increasing their risk of a heart attack.
“Our research suggests that a daily glass of beetroot juice could be one way to get inorganic nitrate into our diet to help to interrupt harmful inflammation.”