- Every day Beetroot juice may support cardiovascular health in postmenausal women, according to a new study.
- Juice can be a good source of nitrate which is essential for the proper functioning of blood vessels.
- The study found, however, that when participants stopped drinking beet juice, the beneficial effects diminished within 24 hours.
During and after menopause, the body produces less estrogen, which often leads to poor blood vessel function and a higher risk of cardiovascular disease.
A new randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover clinical trial conducted by Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) suggests that daily consumption of beet juice may improve blood flow in blood vessels, reducing the risk of problems. cardiac.
Beets – and beet juice – are high in nitrates. The study observed improved blood vessel performance in participants who drank beet root juice daily.
The results appear in the journal Nutrition Frontiers.
Researchers initially recruited 54 postmenopausal women from the local community, but the final analysis included only 24 women: 12 early postmenopausal and 12 late postmenopausal.
Participants had resting blood pressure less than 130/80 millimeters of mercury (mmHg), body mass index (BMI) between 18.5 and 35 kilograms per square meter (kg/m2), lipoprotein cholesterol of low-density (LDL) lower fasting. 160 milligrams per deciliter (mm/dL), a hemoglobin A1C level less than 6%, and a normal fasting blood sugar level.
They were all non-smokers and not taking any cardiovascular medications or hormones at the time of the study.
Under otherwise strict dietary guidelines, participants consumed two 2.3-ounce bottles of concentrated beet juice at the start of the study, followed by one bottle per day for a week. Each bottle contained the same level of nitrates as three large beets.
A few weeks later, the individuals received nitrate-free beet juice, serving as a placebo.
The study authors performed Doppler ultrasound imaging to assess the effect of beet juice on participants’ brachial artery blood flow – the brachial artery lies on the inside of the upper arm – before and after consumption, and the same was done with the placebo.
The authors concluded that blood circulation was improved when participants consumed their nitrate-rich beet juice daily, but the effect wore off within 24 hours of the last bottle.
Additionally, neither nitrate-rich beet juice nor placebo prevented the decline in blood flow after ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury in either group.
Jayne Morgan, MD, a cardiologist and executive director of community health and education at Piedmont Healthcare Corporation in Atlanta, Georgia, who was not involved in the study, spoke with Medical news today on its conclusions.
Morgan explained that in menopause, “(a)s when estrogen levels decline, there is a loss of the cardioprotective effects of estrogen on the heart. »
“Reduced estrogen production during the menopausal transition accelerates the development of heart disease risk factors, such as increased LDL cholesterol, vascular stiffening and high blood pressure,” said the lead author of study, Jocelyn M. Delgado Spicuzza, PhD, of Penn State. University College of Nursing.
This set of risk factors makes the vascular system vulnerable to cardiovascular diseases – atherosclerosis, stroke, heart attack, etc. – and therefore increases the risk of heart disease after menopause, explained Delgado Spicuzza.
Adding to these effects, Morgan noted, is the fact that estrogen serves as both an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent, helping to reduce the development of plaques that can lead to heart attacks.
Additionally, “vasomotor symptoms are increasingly recognized not as a harmless, silent prerequisite suffering of women, but rather as a lack of sleep as a risk factor for heart disease,” Morgan said.
“The intensity and duration of hot flashes (or hot flushes) also appear to have a strong correlation,” she added. “Black women also tend to experience greater vasomotor symptoms.”
“Nitrate consumption by plants is a secondary pathway to increase the availability of nitric oxide in the body,” said Delgado Spicuzza.
“(It is) a molecule responsible for widening blood vessels to accommodate blood flow and oxygen delivery to organs such as the heart,” she explained.
“Since estrogen is no longer sufficient to naturally stimulate nitric oxide production in the body after menopause, dietary nitrate can be converted to nitric oxide through the enterosalivary route to help maintain proper vessel function. blood,” said Delgado Spicuzza.
It is important, the study author added, to be clear about the types of nitrates that can help improve blood vessel function. “Since plants contain nitrate from the soil, there is technically only one type of ‘nitrate’ in these natural food sources,” she said.
“However,” Delgado Spicuzza continued, “when we talk about nitrate in terms of preservatives or additives in animal products, there can be several forms of nitrate, which some call ‘nitrates.’ using the singular form of nitrate is more precise to describe the benefits of beet juice and the results of my research.
A positive aspect of plant-based dietary nitrate is that, unlike heart medications such as nitroglycerin, it maintains its effectiveness with continued use.
As for the best sources of nitrate, Delgado Spicuzza advised:
“Leafy green vegetables (lettuce, arugula, cabbage, spinach), stem and shoot vegetables (celery, rhubarb), herbs (basil, cilantro) and root vegetables (radish, beet, turnip) are the highest sources of dietary nitrate. »
She added that “further research is needed to determine whether eating these foods can improve blood vessel function in postmenopausal women.”
From a health point of view, nitrate of plant origin is preferable to nitrate of meat origin.
As Morgan says, “the overall food context is important. A plant-based lifestyle, which may include eating nitrate-rich beets, is associated with a number of health benefits and outcomes, including a lower risk of heart disease, cancers, and other chronic disease processes.
On the other hand, cardiologist Cheng-Han Chen, MD, of Saddleback Medical Center, California, also not involved in the study, cautioned: “A carnivorous diet high in processed meats.” You will feel some effects of the nitrate, but you will absorb all the other parts of it, which is the fattiest part of the meat.
There are many other heart-healthy foods for menopausal women, Morgan said.
She quoted:
- “pomegranate juice – rich in polyphenols and antioxidants, believed to help improve blood circulation and reduce arterial stiffness
- citrus fruits and juices – oranges, lemons and grapefruit contain flavonoids and vitamin C, thought to support endothelial function and improve vascular health
- dark chocolate – also contains flavonoids (especially epicatechin) which may improve endothelial function and increase nitric oxide availability
- Leafy green vegetables – spinach, kale and arugula are high in nitrate, which can turn into nitric oxide and improve blood vessel function
- berries – blueberries, strawberries and other berries are rich in antioxidants and polyphenols, which can help reduce inflammation and improve blood vessel health
- olive oil — extra virgin olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fats and polyphenols, which are believed to have anti-inflammatory effects on blood vessels and overall cardiovascular health.
- garlic – contains sulfur compounds that may help relax blood vessels and improve blood circulation
- fish and omega-3 fatty acids — fatty fish like salmon and mackerel are rich in omega-3 fatty acids which may help reduce inflammation and improve endothelial function
- green tea – rich in catechins, green tea has been shown to improve endothelial function and support cardiovascular health.
“While the premise of this study makes sense, the study itself would not lead me to recommend beets to postmenopausal women,” Chen said.
“It would be important to conduct larger trials examining clinical outcomes, to determine whether these women would suffer fewer cardiovascular events in the future if they continued a high-nitrate diet,” he noted.
For now, Chen’s recommendations remain unchanged, which is “a heart-healthy diet that involves lots of whole grains, fruits and vegetables, little salt, avoiding saturated fats, avoiding highly processed foods and avoiding a lot of sugar.”
Morgan said she is also unlikely to change what she tells patients based on this study. “But it’s something to consider from an allopathic and dietary perspective,” she nevertheless noted. “We are what we eat, and food is increasingly recognized as medicine. »