How to prepare it. Five benefits and unknown properties of beetsBy BBC Mundo

The beet, a tuberous root, can improve endurance and even help you run faster, whatever your health and fitness level. But there are many more benefits: from helping to lower blood pressure to keep our brain healthy as we get older.

Since Ancient Greece it has been known that this food is good for our body. But now, new evidence is beginning to reveal the extraordinary benefits of this vegetable and why we should include it in our diet.

Here we leave you 5:

1. The antioxidant power of betalains

The natural pigments that give beets their dark, strong color are called betalains and have a high antioxidant power.

A few years ago, research carried out in Italy showed that they are capable of kill colon cancer cellsat least in laboratory studies.

It is known that eating a diet rich in vegetables and fruits is good for preventing diseases.Getty Images

But Betalains aren’t the only magic ingredient. One of the superpowers of beets is that they are incredibly rich in nitrates. Consuming too much nitrate may not seem like a good idea. After all, when nitrates are added as preservatives to processed meats, they can increase the risk of bowel cancer.

However, when we consume the natural nitrate present in vegetables, such as beets, something amazing happens. The bacteria that live in our mouth cause nitrates to be transformed into nitrite and, subsequently, into nitric oxide, a powerful molecule with diverse effects throughout our body.

Among other things, nitric oxide increases blood flow to various organs, including the penis. “Nitric oxide is a vasodilator. Makes our blood vessels dilate, allowing greater blood flow and therefore more oxygen to our tissues,” he explained Andy Jonesprofessor of applied physiology at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom, who spent more than 10 years researching the effects of beets on sports performance.

Beet juice can be a good way to obtain all the benefits of this food.Getty Images

Adequate levels of nitric oxide are essential for producing and maintaining an erection, which may explain why The Romans used beet juice as an aphrodisiac.

Although there are still no clinical trials that demonstrate that the consumption of beet juice has an effect similar to that of Viagrathere is evidence of the expansion of blood vessels it causes, resulting in other significant changes.

2. Effects on the heart and blood pressure

A daily dose of beet juice may, for example, have a significant effect on blood pressure. One study showed that eating two beets a day for a few weeks caused a drop in blood pressure of about 5 millimeters of mercury on average.

“[La presión arterial] essentially tends to decrease. And it can drop by 3 and sometimes even 9 millimeters of mercury, in the case of systolic blood pressure,” Jones said.

If this drop continues, it is enough to reduce the risk of suffering a stroke and heart attack by 10%. “If this type of change occurred in the entire population, the incidence of adverse cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks and strokesit would be considerably reduced,” the expert assessed.

Scientists have proven that it is the nitrate contained in the juice of this vegetable that helps lower blood pressure.Getty Images

Research has also shown that beets can have an effect on blood pressure as early as a few hours after eating.

This happens because nitric oxide causes blood vessels dilatewhich makes blood flow more easily.

3. Food for the brain

Beet can also increase blood flow to crucial areas of the brain. It was shown that the consumption of beet juice stimulates cognition and improves the ability to make quick decisions.

There are even suggestions that it may be helpful in maintaining brain health as we age. A study showed that combine beet juice with exercise can increase connectivity in brain regions that control movement.

The parts of the associated brain networks with motor function in people who did it began to look more like young adults. In other words, it seems that this combination can really help keep the brain younger.

Beets help keep our brain healthy as we age.Getty Images

Why it happens? Again, it’s probably due to better blood flow. Research suggests that drinking beet juice increases blood flow in the prefrontal cortex, improving brain performance.

4. Balance of the oral microbiome

Another study revealed that drinking beet juice twice a day for just ten days can improve oral bacteria mixing. The participants who consumed it showed an increase in bacteria related to a good vascular and cognitive healthas well as reduced levels of bacteria associated with disease and inflammation.

Increasing healthy populations of oral bacteria may help combat the body’s declining ability to produce nitric oxide as we age and pave the way for better long-term health.

5. Greater physical performance

Do you want to improve your career? Recent studies also show how this tuberous root can help to run faster.

This vegetable is rich in antioxidants and helps to better oxygenate the muscles.Getty Images

“There is a possibility that the muscle receives more oxygen and distributes it within itself more efficiently due to the effects of nitric oxide,” Jones explained. In a 2009 study, drinking beet juice was found to help increase physical endurance during high intensity exercise by up to 16%.

According to research, nitric oxide also helps reduce oxygen consumption during exercise, slowing the rate at which people reach exhaustion.

The discovery was a great success among athletes: “Apparently, before the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games could not be purchased beet juice in London neither for love nor for money, all the athletes were looking for it.”

The vegetable also proved to have significant effects on speed. In a 2012 study, participants who had consumed beets ran 5% faster in the last 1.8 km of a 5K race compared to those who had not eaten beets, and their rate of perceived exertion was lower.

If the idea is to improve sports performance, How long before the start of the event (whether a race or a match) should beets be consumed?. “About 2 to 3 hours, because it takes a little time to process the nitrate,” Jones said.

Nitric oxide improves blood flow to our lungs and muscles, resulting in faster oxygen delivery.Getty Images

What is the ideal amount?

Jones recommends two or three medium beetsor a dose of beet juice per day; He said that’s all it takes to see positive effects. “We discovered that what counts is around 6 to 10 millimoles (a millimole of any substance is defined as the molecular or atomic weight of that substance in milligrams) of nitrate, and that is the equivalent of 2 to 3 beets,” he said.

“But I imagine that if you continued eating beets at a lower level, but more chronicallyyou would have similar types of effects,” he continued, recommending: “I think we all have to try improve our nitrate intake every day and every week.”

Pay attention to the preparation method

The precious nitrates are soluble in water, so it is advisable to be careful when cooking beets. Boiling will cause the nitrates to leach into the cooking liquid. and you won’t get as many benefits. “If you throw away the cooking water, you’ll probably lose most of the nitrates,” Jones said.

It is important to remember that most of the beets we buy are vacuum packed: some brands pre-boil them, others do not. The Pickled beets tend to be precookedso the nitrate content is likely too low to get the full benefits.

If you really want to make the most of this vegetable, It may be best to consume it raw, roasted or drink its juice.

By Michael Mosley

BBC Mundo

BBC Mundo

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