Drinking Beetroot Juice May Help Lower Blood Pressure

Hypertensive individuals who are looking for a natural way to lower their blood pressure and reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease may want to consider drinking more beetroot juice, according to a new UK study.

Lead investigator Amrita Ahluwalia, professor of vascular biology at Queen Mary’s William Harvey Research Institute, and her colleagues found that participants were able to lower their blood pressure considerably by consuming just 250 milliliters (ml) a day of beetroot juice. The beneficial effects were seen in the first 24 hours.

The researchers also found that patients were able to moderately lower their blood pressure by taking daily nitrate tablets, suggesting that the high nitrate content in beetroot is what may make it the next superfood.

"We showed that beetroot and nitrate capsules are equally effective in lowering blood pressure," said Ahluwalia. "We also found that only a small amount of juice is needed to have this effect, and that the higher the blood pressure at the start of the study the greater the decrease caused by the nitrate."

Another study conducted late last year found that regular consumption of beetroot can also naturally improve stamina by increasing oxygen intake, Tonic.com reports.