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Beets battle high blood pressure Date published: 3/2/2008
BEETS can lower British researchers recently wrote that nitrates, natural chemicals in the beets, may provide the blood-pressure-reducing wallop. We've known for decades that the more vegetables a person eats, the lower that person's risk of hypertension, heart attacks and strokes. To my knowledge, this is the first study to single out beets. I hope it's followed up with more research. In the meantime, I unearthed fascinating facts about beets, along with some delicious ways to prepare this oft-snubbed vegetable. POTENT NITRATES In the recent study, people drank 2 cups of beet juice, and British scientists found that their blood pressure dropped by 10 points. That's not enough to replace blood-pressure medicines, but it's still helpful and inexpensive. Older research blamed nitrates, found in beets and other foods, for a host of problems. But new studies show that nitrates may be innocent and even helpful--especially when it comes to lowering blood pressure. Past studies showed that people who eat a lot of sausage and other meats cured with nitrates have higher rates of stomach cancers. But that may be due to something else in the meat, not the nitrates, We know from other research that nitrates do help the heart--which is why the drug nitroglycerin is used to ease chest pain. The body transforms nitrates into nitric oxide, a chemical that relaxes the walls of the blood vessels, thus lowering blood pressure. Nitric oxide is also critical for sex--men's nerves release nitric oxide, the first step in a chain reaction that causes erections. Drugs such as Viagra and Cialis keep that reaction going longer. Perhaps the link between beets, nitrates and erections explains why the ancient Romans used beets as a love potion. I've never been to the ruins of Pompeii, but I'm told that the old city had beets painted on the walls To my knowledge, these ideas have not been tested by modern science.
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