The £1.80 juice that ‘lowers your blood pressure – slashing risk of killer heart attack and stroke'
BEET IT The £1.80 juice that 'lowers your blood pressure – slashing risk of killer heart attack and stroke'
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A VEGETABLE juice available in supermarkets can lower your blood pressure by killing bad mouth bacteria, a study found.
About one in three Brits have high blood pressure, raising their risk of heart disease, strokes and dementia.
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Millions of people in the UK have high blood pressure (stock image)
Credit: Alamy
Millions take medication to reduce the danger but your diet can also help.
Researchers at Exeter University found that nitrates in beetroot juice can maintain a healthy balance of bacteria in the mouth and gut in older patients.
People in their 60s and 70s saw a decrease in blood pressure after two weeks of drinking two shots of juice per day.
They used juice concentrate shots that cost about £1.80 each and are equal to a pint of pressed juice, costing about £1.65.
Nitrate from the juice increases the body's production of nitric oxide, which helps blood vessels to relax and regulates blood pressure.
Veg alternatives if you don't like beetroot
Study author Professor Anni Vanhatalo said: 'We know that a nitrate-rich diet has health benefits and older people produce less of their own nitric oxide as they age.
'Encouraging older adults to consume more nitrate-rich vegetables could have significant long term health benefits.
'The good news is that if you don't like beetroot, there are many nitrate-rich alternatives like spinach, rocket, fennel, celery and kale.'
The study, published in the journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine, compared the effects in 39 under-30s and 36 pensioners in their 60s and 70s.
Both age groups had a 'significant' change in the balance of bacteria in their mouths.
What is high blood pressure and what is a normal reading?
Experts increasingly believe the balance of bugs in our mouth and gut has a huge influence on overall health.
Beetroot juice did not have the same blood pressure lowering effect on younger participants.
Older people saw an increase in health-boosting bacteria Neisseria, and a decrease in a bug called Prevotella.
This in turn led to a decrease in blood pressure readings.
Dr Lee Beniston, of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, said: 'This research is a great example of how bioscience can help us better understand the complex links between diet, the microbiome and healthy ageing.
'It opens up new opportunities for improving vascular health through nutrition.'
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