Research has found that individuals can significantly reduce their risk of heart disease by eating just 1 cup of nitrate-rich vegetables every day. The research looked at whether individuals who regularly ate higher quantities of nitrate-rich vegetables, such as beetroot and leafy greens, had reduced blood pressure, and it also looked at whether these same individuals were more unlikely to be diagnosed with heart disease many years later.1✅ JOURNAL REFERENCE
DOI: 10.1007/s10654-021-00747-3
Cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of death worldwide, taking around 17.9 million lives every year. Researchers looked at data from over 50,000 individuals over a 23-year period. They found that individuals consuming the most nitrate-rich vegetables had about a 2.5 mmHg lower systolic blood pressure and between 12 to 26 % reduced risk of heart disease.
The results have demonstrated that individuals may be able to significantly reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease by just eating 1 cup of raw (or half a cup of cooked) nitrate-rich vegetables every day,.
The greatest reduction in risk was for peripheral artery disease (26 %), a type of heart disease characterized by the narrowing of blood vessels of the legs, but they also found individuals had a lower risk of heart attacks, heart failure and strokes.
The research found that the optimum amount of nitrate-rich vegetables was 1 cup a day and eating more than that didn’t seem to give any additional benefits.
Individuals don’t need to be taking supplements to boost their nitrate levels because the study revealed that 1 cup of leafy green vegetables every day is adequate for reaping the benefits for heart disease.
The researchers didn’t see further benefits in individuals who ate higher levels of nitrate rich vegetables.
The researchers said including a cup of spinach in a banana or berry smoothie could be a simple way to top up our daily leafy greens. Blending leafy greens is fine, but don’t juice them. Juicing vegetables removes the pulp and fiber.
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