Drinking half a liter of beetroot juice every day improves blood circulation in the brain, which may inhibit the development of dementia in old age, according to the specialist journal Nitric Oxide: Biology and Chemistry.
Earlier, there were several studies proving that regular drinking of beetroot juice can lower blood pressure and improve physical performance. Recent research by scientists at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, has shown that consuming about half a liter of this drink a day can quickly improve blood circulation to the brain.
As you age, some areas of the brain become less supplied with blood and oxygenate. It is believed to be related to the deterioration of intellectual performance and the development of dementia, explains Daniel Kim-Shapiro, who leads the study.
Beets, like celery, cabbage and other leafy vegetables, including spinach and some varieties of lettuce, contain high levels of nitrates, which bacteria in the mouth convert into nitrite. These compounds play an important role in hypoxic tissues, as they produce nitric oxide that widens blood vessels and thus improves blood and oxygen supply.
The research was carried out in a group of 14 elderly people aged 70 and more. On the first day, patients came to the laboratory after 10 hours of fasting and filled out their health records. Some of them ate breakfast low in nitrates, and others a meal rich in nitrates. In the second case, the source of nitrates was mainly approx. 0,5 liter portion of beet juice. They were then sent home to eat according to their prescribed diet.
The next day, after 10 hours without food, the subjects returned to the laboratory, where they ate a properly composed breakfast. One hour later, each patient’s brain blood flow was assessed using a magnetic resonance imaging technique called non-invasive magnetic arterial blood marking (ASL) imaging. Before and after breakfast, the level of nitrite in their blood samples was also checked.
For the next two days, the study groups changed diets and the entire procedure was repeated.
It turned out that a diet rich in nitrates locally increased blood circulation in the white matter of the frontal lobes (especially between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the anterior cingulate cortex). Degeneration of these areas of the brain is a common cause of dementia and other cognitive decline.
According to the authors of the study, these results suggest that dietary nitrates may improve blood circulation in the regions of the brain responsible for higher mental function, thus slowing the development of dementia in old age.
Joanna Morga (PAP)