What are the health benefits of beet juice? Research studies have shown that drinking beet juice can lower blood pressure by 250 milliliters. And those studies showed it lowered systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings.
Exercise Performance
There was a small 2012 study that showed that drinking beet juice boosted physical performance in cyclists. Those trained cyclists who drank 2 cups of beet juice daily improved their 10-kilometer time trial by 12 seconds and they were able to reduce their maximum oxygen output.
What are the health benefits of beet juice? Photo credit: iStock- Igor Dudchak
Slowing The Progression Of Dementia
Nitrates are compounds that are in beets and convert to nitric oxide in the blood which helps to widen and relax blood vessels. There was a 2011 study that revealed that nitrates can increase blood flow to the brain in older people and slow up cognitive decline.
The people that were involved in the study that consumed this high nitrate diet which included drinking beet juice, their brain MRIs showed an increase in the frontal lobes. It is important to understand that the frontal lobes are associated with cognitive creative thinking.
Great Source Of Potassium
Beets contain a good source of potassium and the electrolytes in it help the muscles and nerves function properly. If you drink this within moderation it helps to maintain your potassium levels. When you are low in potassium levels the results of that are muscle cramps, weakness, fatigue, etc.
Some of the important minerals that beet juice provides is the following:
- Selenium
- Potassium
- Sodium
- Zinc
- Copper
- Iron
- Manganese
Improve Cholesterol Levels
There was a 2011 study where it showed that rats that drank beet juice lowered their total cholesterol levels. One of the precautions of drinking beet juice is that if you have low blood pressure it can potentially drop it too low.
Beets are high in oxidates which are a naturally occurring substance that forms crystals in the urine. And this can potentially lead to stones so if you are prone to calcium oxalate kidney stones then you might want to avoid drinking beet juice.
A 2015 study showed that people with heart failure experienced a 13% increase in muscle power 2 hours after drinking beet juice.
The Bottom Line is some of the health benefits of beet juice from studies are relieving muscle cramps, increasing physical athletic performance and possible increase blood flow to the brain which can possibly slow up cognitive decline.
If you have any interest in trying any of our Ethical Supplement products to help you improve your gut health, heighten your immune system, or assist you with your fitness, weight loss or health goals. You can get a discount below at this link.
https://offer.ethicalinc.com/suppressant-offer/ ?utm_source=blog
References
- Gandía-Herrero F, Escribano J, García-Carmona F. Biological Activities of Plant Pigments Betalains. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2016;56(6):937-45. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2012.740103. PMID: 25118005.
- Presley TD, Morgan AR, Bechtold E, Clodfelter W, Dove RW, Jennings JM, Kraft RA, King SB, Laurienti PJ, Rejeski WJ, Burdette JH, Kim-Shapiro DB, Miller GD. Acute effect of a high nitrate diet on brain perfusion in older adults. Nitric Oxide. 2011 Jan 1;24(1):34-42. doi: 10.1016/j.niox.2010.10.002. Epub 2010 Oct 15. PMID: 20951824; PMCID: PMC3018552.
- Cermak NM, Gibala MJ, van Loon LJ. Nitrate supplementation’s improvement of 10-km time-trial performance in trained cyclists. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2012 Feb;22(1):64-71. doi: 10.1123/ijsnem.22.1.64. PMID: 22248502.
