Did you know, drinking beetroot juice can help people with heart problems? Yes, it’s true. Scientists in England found this out.
They presented their results at a big meeting about heart health in Manchester.
Who Did the Research?
The study was done by big groups called the National Institute for Health and Care Research and the British Heart Foundation. These groups work with smart people who study health. They have lots of experience.
The scientists who worked on this project are based in two famous places in London, St Bartholomew’s Hospital and Queen Mary University.
What Did They Find?
These scientists noticed something interesting. Some heart patients who drank beetroot juice every day for half a year had fewer problems.
Normally, about 16 out of 100 of these patients face serious issues within two years. But when they drank beetroot juice, only around 7.5 out of 100 had problems. This is a big improvement.
The Problem of Angina
Every year in the UK, many people get heart disease called angina. Doctors help them by doing a surgery. They place a small tube called a stent inside their heart’s blood vessel.
This tube helps blood flow better and eases the pain. This operation is called a percutaneous coronary intervention or PCI.
But sometimes, a problem can happen. About 10 out of 100 patients face a thing called restenosis.
This means the blood vessel becomes narrow again, and the heart pain comes back. This usually happens within five years after the operation.
The scientists thought that beetroot juice could help solve this problem. Their findings showed that patients who had beetroot juice had less narrowing in their blood vessels.
How Does Beetroot Juice Work?
So, how does beetroot juice do this? Well, beetroot juice has a thing called inorganic nitrate. It’s a natural part of the juice.
This nitrate changes into other stuff in our body, and that stuff makes our blood vessels work better.
The Words from the Experts
Dr. Krishnaraj Rathod, who led this study, said it’s really good to see this natural juice helping heart patients. He also said patients liked it because it’s natural and has no bad side effects, except for making pee look pink.
Professor James Leiper, from the British Heart Foundation, said this study gives hope. But he also mentioned that they need to do more research to confirm these findings.
The Future of Beetroot Juice
The team of scientists is now planning to do a bigger study. They want to make sure that beetroot juice really helps. If it works, doctors might start telling heart patients to drink beetroot juice.
This could help not just people with angina but also people who had a stent for other reasons, like after a heart attack.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about how eating eggs can help reduce heart disease risk, and Vitamin K2 could help reduce heart disease risk.
For more information about heart health, please see recent studies about how to remove plaques that cause heart attacks, and results showing a new way to prevent heart attacks, strokes.
Copyright © 2023 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
