A medically approved drink that could reduce inflammation and the risk of heart disease.
Heart disease is a leading cause of death in the United States, claiming a life every 33 seconds and causing over 695,000 deaths annually.
Fortunately, there are several ways individuals can lower their risk of premature death from coronary heart disease, which is one of the most prevalent forms of heart disease.
A recent study conducted at Queen Mary University in London revealed that consuming a glass of beetroot juice daily can effectively reduce dangerous inflammation and minimize the risk of heart disease.
During the study, 114 healthy volunteers were examined. Among them, 78 individuals received a typhoid vaccine to induce temporary inflammation, while the remaining 36 participants were given a cream to create small blisters on their skin, causing localized inflammation.
Afterwards, the volunteers consumed 140ml of beetroot juice each morning for a week. Half of them drank juice with nitrate content, while the others consumed juice with the nitrate removed. Nitrate is known to play a significant role in cardiovascular health.
The study observed that those who consumed the high-nitrate beetroot juice experienced restored endothelial function. The endothelium consists of cells lining the inside of blood vessels and is crucial for maintaining their health. Inflammation typically leads to the loss of endothelial function.
Additionally, the study found that the blisters in the group consuming high-nitrate juice healed more quickly.
As a result of these findings, clinical trials are now being planned to determine whether a diet high in nitrates can yield similar effects to those observed in the study’s volunteers.
Dr. Asad Shabbir from Queen Mary University explained, “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 the risk of a heart attack.”
Narrowing of the arteries occurs when these vital passageways become clogged with fatty deposits.
Dr. Shabbir further added, “Our research suggests a daily glass of beetroot juice can be one way to get inorganic nitrate into our diet to help to interrupt harmful inflammation.”
Meanwhile, Professor James Leiper from the British Heart Foundation commented, “This research suggests that increasing the level of inorganic nitrate in your diet could help to reduce inflammation in your body. We know that inflammation plays an important role in the development and progression of cardiovascular diseases and therefore interventions that can dampen inflammation have potential as future treatments to tackle this.”
In addition to the benefits of beetroot juice, a recent study conducted at the Southern Medical University in China suggests that another common dietary habit, coffee consumption, may also have positive effects on cardiovascular health.
The study found that moderate coffee consumption, ranging from one and a half to three and a half cups per day, was associated with a reduced risk of heart disease.
However, the authors of the study cautioned that these results do not prove a direct causal relationship between coffee consumption and a lower risk of death.
The findings of both studies have been published in the Annals of Internal Medicine journal.
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