Cardiovascular diseases are the leading risk factor for death worldwide, ending the lives of approximately 17.9 million people every year.

A simple and healthful option to lower the risk of heart disease is to drink an infusion made with nitrate-rich vegetables once a day.

People who ate more nitrate-rich foods, such as green leafy vegetables and beets, had lower blood pressure and were less likely to be diagnosed with heart disease years later, according to recent research from Edith Cowan University in Australia.

Over a 23-year period, the researchers looked at data from more than 50,000 participants in Denmark who took part in the Danish Diet, Cancer, and Health Study.

They discovered that those who ate the veggies high in nitrates had a lower systolic blood pressure of about 2.5 mmHg and a 12 to 26 percent lower risk of heart disease.

Identifying diets to prevent heart disease is a priority. 

“Our results have shown that by simply eating one cup of raw (or half a cup of cooked) nitrate-rich vegetables each day, people may be able to significantly reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease,” says researcher Dr. Catherine Bondonno.

The findings of the study, which were published in the European Journal of Epidemiology, revealed that the greatest reduction in risk was in the case of peripheral artery disease, a kind of heart disease marked by narrowing of blood veins in the legs.

The study author further adds that “we also found people had a lower risk of heart attacks, strokes, and heart failure.”

The findings discovered that one cup of nitrate-rich veggies per day was the ideal amount, and eating more did not appear to provide any further benefit.

The study adds to a growing body of evidence that links vegetables in general, and leafy greens in particular, to improved cardiovascular health and muscle strength.

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