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Question answered:26/02/08
An article in the March 2008 edition of Hypertension [1] looked at the effects of ingestion of 500ml of beetroot juice. This reported:
“..approximately 3 hours after ingestion of a dietary nitrate load (beetroot juice 500 mL), BP was substantially reduced (Delta(max) -10.4/8 mm Hg); an effect that correlated with peak increases in plasma nitrite concentration...
...These findings suggest that dietary nitrate underlies the beneficial effects of a vegetable-rich diet and highlights the potential of a "natural" low cost approach for the treatment of cardiovascular disease.”
This article was appraised for the NHS Choices website [2] as part of the ‘Behind the Headlines’ series. We recommend you read the full appraisal but the key points are:
“The study was very small and therefore should be repeated in more people.
It was conducted in healthy volunteers and should be repeated in people with hypertension or at increased risk of heart attacks.
Long-term beneficial effects of beetroot juice were not investigated, nor were any potential harms measured.”
References
1) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18250365
2) http://www.nhs.uk/News/2007/January08/Pages/Beetrootandbloodpressure.aspx
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