According to a recent study from Edith Cowan University, consuming just one cup of nitrate-rich vegetables per day can strongly lower the risk of heart disease.
Heart diseases account for 17.9 million deaths worldwide every year. Nitrate has many health benefits, including lowering blood pressure and providing vessel protective effects.
Nitrate-rich vegetables include beetroots, kale, arugula, chard, spinach, parsley, Chinese cabbage, leeks, celery, radishes, and turnips.
Researchers examined data from over 50,000 people who participated in the Danish Diet, Cancer, and Health Study over a 23-year period.
They found that people who consumed the most nitrate-rich vegetables had lower systolic blood pressure, by about 2.5 mmHg, and were between 12% and 26% less likely to be diagnosed with heart disease.
The study showed that the greatest reduction in risk was for peripheral artery disease (26%), followed by a lower risk of heart attacks, strokes, and heart failure.
The team suggested that eating one cup of raw (or half a cup of cooked) nitrate-rich vegetables each day could significantly reduce the risk of heart disease.
The study found no additional benefits in people who ate higher levels of nitrate-rich vegetables. Therefore, it is unnecessary to take supplements to increase nitrate levels.
One cup of leafy green vegetables per day is sufficient to reap the harm of heart disease.
The team also suggested that including a cup of spinach in a banana or berry smoothie could be an easy way to top up daily leafy greens.
The study was conducted by Dr. Catherine Bondonno and her team and published in the European Journal of Epidemiology.
If you care about heart health, please read studies that yogurt may help lower the death risks of heart disease, and natural coconut sugar could help reduce blood pressure and artery stiffness.
For more information about health, please see recent studies that Vitamin D deficiency can increase heart disease risk, and results showing vitamin B6 linked to lower death risk in heart disease.
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