Beetroot juice may help beet your best

Beetroot, the natural ingredient that spurred on our athletes, is thought to have wider health benefits

Juiced up: David Weir's performance at the Paralympics,
where he won four gold medals, was helped by a regular intake of beetroot juice 

 

By Glenda Cooper

6:14PM BST 16 Sep 2012

As revealed in The Daily Telegraph last week, David Weir’s haul of four Paralympic gold medals was powered by a secret ingredient that is completely legal, scientifically proven to improve sporting performance, and has even been referred to as “legal blood doping”. What could this revolutionary aid be? Beta vulgaris – the simple beetroot.

Weir’s admission that he gulped down a slug of the plant’s juice during the marathon – rugby player Ben Foden and marathon runner Helen Davies are also fans – follows studies that suggest the “super root” can help more average athletes, too.

Rich in potassium, antioxidants and folic acid, beetroot was found to lower blood pressure back in 2008, by scientists at Barts and the London School of Medicine. In 2009, a University of Exeter study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology found that drinking 500ml of beetroot juice before exercise improved stamina. A second Exeter study last year found that cyclists could shave seconds off their time – similar benefits were found for runners in a US study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in April.

The reason for beetroot’s winning ways, says Professor Andy Jones, from the sport and health sciences department at Exeter, is nitrate, a nutrient found in soil that helps build protein. This converts into nitrite in the body and then into nitric oxide, which has a “double whammy” effect: it widens blood vessels, increasing blood flow; and it reduces the oxygen needed by muscles, enabling them to work more efficiently.

“We found this works most effectively in high-intensity exercise, typically races that last up to 30 minutes,” says Prof Jones (who tweets under the name @AndyBeetroot). He says your average runner might feel the benefits of beetroot more than elite athletes whose muscles are already efficient.

However, those eager to achieve a new personal best would need to eat four or five beetroot to make a difference. Pickled or boiled beetroot is of limited value, unless you drink the water it is boiled in. A similar problem exists with supplements, with eight to 10 capsules needed daily.

Which is why experts say the best way to get the benefits is to drink the juice. “Shots” containing 7cl of concentrated juice, and 0.4g of nitrate, have been developed as a sports drink and for use in studies, by the James White drinks company in Ipswich. Managing director Lawrence Mallinson, who supplied shots to Team GB, says that beetroot juice now accounts for half of the firm’s £5 million turnover.

You would need to drink about 500ml (half a litre) of ordinary strength juice to get the same nitrate levels. Consuming this amount of beetroot juice has no side-effects, says Prof Jones – other than turning your urine pink.

The benefits may go beyond track and field, according to Ben Benjamin, professor of medicine at Torbay Hospital. He says that, though more research is needed, 500ml of ordinary-strength juice daily could mean that frail, elderly people could get out of a chair without feeling breathless, or walk upstairs by themselves.

Prof Jones agrees: “This is one of the sports nutrition stories of the decade. It transcends performance – we can use it to improve health.”

Beet It sports shots: beet-it.com. Organic, standard strength beetroot juice is also made by Biotta (biotta.ch), available online. To make your own, try videojug.com/film/how-to-make-beetroot-juice

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/dietandfitness/9546330/Beetroot-juice-may-help-beet-your-best.html

Beetroot Juice lowers Blood Pressure

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

 

Why Blood Pressure Drugs Can Make the Problem Worse… and How to “Beet” this Common Condition with a Delicious Food

Most of us have heard one shocking story or another about the dangerous side effects of pharmaceutical drugs. But many people are not aware that some of these drugs can actually worsen or even cause the same disease they are designed to treat.

Tamoxifen is one example. This drug is generally prescribed to high-risk women to prevent breast cancer. But according to a study published in the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer,¹ tamoxifen can actually cause uterine cancer and increase the mortality rate from the disease.

Or consider diabetes drugs, like Avandia. Results from the ACCORD trial (Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes) showed that aggressive blood sugar management with these drugs resulted in a 22% increased risk of death in diabetic patients.²

And now, new research shows that the most commonly used drugs for lowering blood pressure actually raise it. That’s right: the drugs that most hypertension patients count on are putting them in harm’s way.

But not to worry, because another recent study confirms that one safe, natural remedy can drastically lower your blood pressure in just three hours.

Blood Pressure Meds Elevate Blood Pressure

The study, which was published in the American Journal of Hypertension, followed the progress of 945 patients over 17 years.

These patients took one of two anti-hypertensive drugs. One was a calcium channel blocker which lowers blood volume. The other was a beta blocker, or ACE inhibitor. These are often called “R” drugs, because they lower the levels of an enzyme called renin. This enzyme is secreted by the kidneys and plays a key role in maintaining blood pressure.

The study showed that the drugs actually spiked blood pressure. And the highest spikes were found in patients with low renin levels.

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University say doctors are too quick to use a one-drug-treats-all option.

“Every clinician knows that there’s a variation in response to antihypertensive treatment,” says study author Michael Alderman, MD. Dr. Alderman is the former president of the American Society of Hypertension. “Some patients will have an elevation in blood pressure.”

Until now, this has been blamed on patients not taking their drugs. Other times doctors put it down to random events.

“But this data shows that it’s not a random event,” he says. “It’s due to a mismatch between the patients’ renin status and the drug.”

Root Remedy Offers Hope

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says one in three Americans over the age of 20 have hypertension. And it lands over 40 million people in the hospital each year.

According to the American Heart Association, elevated blood pressure increases the risk for:

• Heart attack
• Angina
• Stroke
• Kidney failure
• Peripheral artery disease

And while doctors are prescribing drugs that make the problem worse, one simple root can make it better.

A recent UK study – published in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension – says that beetroot juice can significantly lower high blood pressure.

The study was conducted by the famous Queen Mary’s William Harvey Research Institute and headed up by Professor Amrita Ahluwalia.

Researchers gave beetroot juice to healthy volunteers. They compared their blood pressure responses and the biochemical changes in their circulation.

They found that not only does beetroot juice lower blood pressure… it does so quickly.

Professor Ahluwalia found that patients lowered their blood pressure within three hours of drinking their daily dose… and the effects lasted for 24 hours!

And the best thing is that consuming beets works best for those who need it most. The researchers found that “the higher the blood pressure, the greater the decrease.”

Researchers also tested a second group of patients with daily nitrate tablets. They too were able to lower their blood pressure. The high nitrate content in beetroot may be one of the reasons it’s so effective in lowering blood pressure. And why the research group has called it an essential “superfood.”

“Beeting” Out the Competition

Beetroot is rich in iron, boron, and folic acid. It also contains betanene, which is why it has such a deep purple color. Betanene is a powerful antioxidant. In fact, it’s even more potent than polyphenols which are believed to be the reason that diets rich in leafy vegetables also lower blood pressure.

Research member Professor Ben Benjamin says that beetroot absorbs and stores super high levels of nitrate. These are found in soil and our bodies use them to control blood pressure.

“When nitrate is present in saliva, bacteria on the tongue converts it into nitrite,” he says. “When the nitrite is swallowed, it’s converted into nitric oxide.”

Nitric oxide is a chemical produced by our blood vessels to help them relax and lower blood pressure.
“Increasing the levels of nitrate with beetroot juice increases this effect,” Professor Benjamin says.

True Stories of Success

“Currently, treatment for high blood pressure involves a cocktail of aspirin, statins, beta blockers, and angiotensin converting enzyme [ACE] inhibitors,” says Professor Benjamin. “People don’t like taking all the tablets. They don’t feel well and the treatment is lifelong.”

But he says beetroot is a healthy and safe alternative. The study also found that, like aspirin, beetroot juice prevents blood clots and protects the lining of blood vessels.

People are already putting this superfood to the test.

Sixty-year-old David Kelsall, from Stoke-on-Trent, England, was amazed by the results.

“I discovered my blood pressure was high when my doctor was testing for something else,” he says. “It was not life-threatening but I was anxious to do something about it.”

He was considering drugs when he read the reports about beetroot juice.

“I drank three bottles of it a week,” he says. “Less than four weeks later, my blood pressure had already leveled out. Now, a few months later, it is under control and normal. I am still drinking the juice, and I’m going to continue doing so. It may not help everyone, but it’s helped me.”

Getting Beetroot into Your Diet

Beetroot has a medium glycemic index score of 64… but this doesn’t need to be a problem. That’s because you only need a small amount of beetroot juice to lower your blood pressure.

“We found that only a small amount of juice is needed – just 250ml – to have this effect,” says Professor Ahluwalia. That’s about one cup.

We recommend Biotta Organic Beetroot Juice. Not only does it taste delicious, but it’s also inexpensive, especially when you consider the positive benefits.

You can also blend raw beets into a morning smoothie or roast them in the oven and slice and serve over salads.

References:
¹ http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1525-1438.2007.01025.x/abstract;jsessionid
² http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa0802743#t=articleDiscussion


http://naturalhealthdossier.com/2012/05/why-blood-pressure-drugs-can-make-the-problem-worse-and-how-to-beet-this-common-condition-with-a-delicious-food/

Beetroot - Could this Vegetable Drink Put You on the Winner’s Podium?

Natural Health Dossier
The Institute for Natural Healing

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

For years, endurance athletes have looked for ways to deliver more oxygen to their muscles. They’ve also searched for ways to get their muscles to use oxygen more efficiently. Some cyclists have even resorted to blood “doping” to increase the blood’s ability to carry oxygen.

Now, it appears that what they were looking for has been in the garden all along. Several recent studies show that a common vegetable can substantially increase the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood. It can also reduce the amount of oxygen that the muscles need to perform work.

These performance enhancing benefits can bestow greater energy and stamina. In fact, the results are so significant that numerous Olympic athletes have added the juice of this vegetable to their training and recovery routine.

Now, we realize that you’re probably not an Olympic-caliber athlete. It’s unlikely that one of your main goals is to shave 30 seconds off your race time to make it to the winner’s podium.

But there’s a good chance you lead a busy life. You probably have a demanding job, a long to-do list, and lots of family obligations. And you’d probably like some added energy for exercise and recreation after all those obligations are met.

If so, then this research will be of interest to you as well…

So what is the vegetable that more and more athletes swear by? The beet.

One of the first studies to demonstrate the ability of beets to improve energy and performance was conducted at Exeter University in England.¹ In this study, the researchers followed eight competitive cyclists.

For six straight days, the cyclists consumed half a liter (about 16 ounces) of organic beetroot juice. They then completed fitness tests. On a separate occasion, the men drank a placebo for six days. They then completed the same cycling tests.

The results showed that the beet juice allowed the men to cycle for 92 seconds longer than the placebo.

The percentage increase was 16%. That might not sound like a lot. But in a sport like cycling, an improvement of just a few percentage points can mean the difference between first place and the middle of the pack. The beet juice offered these athletes a very significant advantage.

After consuming the beetroot juice, the men also had lower resting blood pressure.

In a follow up study, a different group of athletes rode a 10-mile course. The results were the same. After consuming the beet juice, the riders shaved almost a minute off their time.

A similar study was published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. This study looked at the effect of whole beets on 5K running performance.² Five men and six women underwent two trials. In the first, they consumed 200 grams of whole beets. In the second, they consumed a placebo consisting of cranberry relish.

After each meal, the participants ran the 5K. The results showed that those who consumed the beets had better running times. On average, the beet eaters finished 41-seconds faster.

Keep in mind that all of these studies are small. Larger studies have yet to be conducted to validate the findings. Normally, we would be skeptical of such limited evidence. But it is well understood how beets are able to boost energy, stamina and endurance.

The researchers believe that the nitrates in beets are responsible for the positive results.

Nitrates are naturally occurring chemicals. They exist in the air, soil, and water. They’re also abundant in various vegetables. And beets happen to be one of the richest food sources of naturally occurring nitrates.

Nitrates can have several beneficial effects in the body. These include improved endurance and lower blood pressure.

Scientists believe that the energy and endurance benefits are the result of nitrates converting to nitric oxide in the body. This conversion reduces how much oxygen the body burns during exercise. The result? Less exhaustion during exercise.

Andrew Jones was the lead author of the studies performed at Exeter. He says that, “The oxygen cost of exercising at a given speed is basically fixed. Only nitrate ingestion appears to improve efficiency. These effects cannot be achieved by any other known means, including training.”

Nitric oxide also plays a big role in heart health. Insufficient nitric oxide can lead you down a path toward heart disease. This is why many of the subjects in these studies experienced healthier blood pressure readings as a result of their beet intake.

“Beet” Yourself Up!

Most of us are not endurance athletes. We don’t worry about our running times as much as simply being able to garner enough energy to fit a workout into our busy schedules. Either way, adding beets to your diet – especially about an hour before your workout — may just be the way to do it.

You can roast or bake beets and add them to salads. You can throw one or two raw beets into the blender as part of a morning smoothie. Or you can also buy organic beet juice already bottled. Biotta is the brand we recommend.

References:
¹http://jap.physiology.org/content/107/4/1144″>http://jap.physiology.org/content/107/4/1144
² Murphy M et al. Whole beetroot consumption acutely improves running performance. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. April 2012;112(4):548–52.

http://naturalhealthdossier.com/2012/07/could-this-vegetable-drink-put-you-on-the-winners-podium/