If you don't know or haven't heard about how healthy the juice from beetroots is, it's time to learn. Just 1 glass of beetroot juice per day is enough to lower high blood pressure. It's good for hypertensives even if their condition is kept under control by medical treatment, scientists from the University of London have found.
The juice from beetroots has an abundance of inorganic nitrates. These compounds are found in lettuce and cabbage. In the body they are transformed into nitrogen oxide, which dilates blood vessels, leading to a drop in blood pressure.
Patients between the ages of 18 and 85 were tested. 50% of them were given drugs against hypertension but to no avail. Those volunteers, in turn, were split into 2 groups - the first drank 1 cup (250 ml) of beetroot juice a day, the second was given a placebo.
The experiment continued for 4 weeks. They were observed 2 weeks prior to and 2 weeks after the experiment. For those that drank beetroot juice for 4 weeks, their systolic pressure dropped by 8 mm and their diastolic by 4 mm. This means they returned within normal range.
Researchers saw a 20% improvement in the blood pressure indicator of those individuals, as well as a lowered risk of cardiovascular diseases.
In contrast, the group that took the placebo had no improvement in their results. Drugs usually lowered their systolic pressure by 9 mm and their diastolic by 5 mm.
If you don't really like beetroot juice, you can consume it in the form of salads, it's being used more and more in restaurants.
