No more negativity around nitrates, it’s time to harness this misunderstood mineral for the greater good!

High blood pressure, or ‘hypertension’ is one of the most common modern diseases affecting over a billion people worldwide. Whilst there are multiple risk factors that increase your odds of developing high blood pressure it is generally non-discriminatory, and will claim people of all ages, sizes and ethnicities.

Due to its commonality and its overt lack of surface level symptoms, hypertension is fast becoming ‘just one of those things’, and yet nothing could be more dangerous than complacency. When arteries narrow, blood pressure rises, and the harder the heart must work to move blood around the body, potentially leading to heart attacks, strokes, and sudden death.

By and large the most common treatment plan recommended by doctors is to make ‘lifestyle changes’, which encompasses the usual; eat well, move more, reduce stress, stop smoking, and drink less alcohol. Simple suggestions that are undoubtedly beneficial to a wide range of modern maladies, yet for so many people, a lifestyle overhaul can be a daunting prospect, and at times a seemingly impossible mountain to climb.

Yet research suggests there may be a way to start lowering your blood pressure without making any drastic changes to your day-to-day life. Researcher Elsahoryi and her team from Queens University, Belfast released a paper in April this year which suggests individuals can have a significant effect on their blood pressure simply by including a small glass of juice made from certain vegetables into their current diet.

Over the course of one week, 18 participants drank either 115ml beetroot juice or 250ml of juice from leafy greens daily, in addition to following their usual diet. In just seven days participants saw a drop in blood pressure readings, particularly in the beetroot group who saw on average a reduction from 120/73 at the start of the week to 114/71 by the end.

The reason a small glass of juice can make such a marked improvement, is due to the high levels of inorganic nitrates found naturally in vegetables and are an essential part of our diet. The intervention was designed to give the participants an equal amount of nitrate (approximately 340 mg) from each juice which is why the total volume varied, as when it comes to nitrate content not all veg is created equal; Celery, chervil, cress, lettuce, beetroot, spinach and rocket are all classed as high nitrate vegetables containing roughly 250mg nitrate/100g fresh weight. Blood taken at both the beginning and end of the study indicated that nitrate levels in the body rose almost threefold.

This study was the first of its kind to examine the role different vegetable juices have on blood pressure when nitrate levels are controlled, yet it is certainly not the first to show that nitrate consumption and positively influence the cardiovascular system. Back In 1998, three US scientists received the Nobel prize for their discoveries around the role of nitrates and their ability to dilate blood vessels and thus lower blood pressure, protecting the individual from a variety of diseases and increasing the body’s ability to fight infection.

Now if you have heard any chatter surrounding nitrates and their effect on the body, then this may come as a surprise, as most media coverage on the topic is refers to the practice of nitrates being harnessed and utilised as preservatives in foods such as cured meats and some cheeses, and generally paints a picture of a deadly carcinogen which should be avoided at all costs.

Whilst it is true that nitrate preserved products have been classed as a ‘probable carcinogen’, and processed meats a ‘known carcinogen’, only around 5% of nitrates in the average European diet come from processed meats, whilst more than 80% are from vegetables which acquire nitrates directly from natural mineral deposits in the soil in which they grow and don’t have the same detrimental effect on the body. In fact, limited levels of nitrates are associated with heart disease, diabetes and even erectile dysfunction due to sub-optimal blood flow.

Some researchers insist that because nitrates are beneficial to so many of the conditions affecting the world today and yet so many of us are deficient in this key nutritional aspect, that nitrates should be classified as an ‘essential nutrient’ which could go a long way to preventing conditions such as heart attacks and strokes.

“it is obvious from many basic science and clinical studies that nitrite and nitrate through the proper delivery at the right doses have an enormous impact on many diseases that we are faced with today. We can no longer ignore fundamental nutritional, biochemical, and physiological and clinical benefits of nutrients found in the most healthy and nutritious foods, nitrite and nitrate, especially because the etiology of the aforementioned diseases are based on poor diet and nutrition.”

Since the Nobel winning research was publicised, many studies have sought to examine how high nitrate vegetables affect the cardiovascular system, with promising results. Beetroot juice is becoming commonplace within the realm of sports performance and nutrition due to its ability to increase endurance, whilst other researchers have taken novel steps to influence blood pressure through the means of an enriched beetroot bread and found it caused a significant increase in blood vessel dilation along with increasing nitrate levels in the body. Regardless of the outcome, there seems to be a particular emphasis on red beetroot, regardless of other vegetables being similar in terms on nitrate content.

And this was an interesting finding from the team from Queens University; as despite both the beetroot and leafy green juices being equal in nitrate levels, the former resulted in the most significant differences in blood pressure and blood nitrate levels. As to why this discrepancy may have occurred, researchers stated; “The juices given should have had similar nitrate content but may have differed in levels of other nutrients, such as betaine and polyphenols, which could impact Blood pressure lowering potential.”

This suggests there is a complex interplay of events happening between the nitrates, and the other vitamin and mineral components of the vegetable, to which beetroot seems to have the edge. And yet despite this, the beetroot is a vastly underrated vegetable and is currently only consumed by a mere 4.5% of the UK population. So watch this space, due to the emerging research on its heart healthy properties, it may not be long before we see the humble beetroot elevated to superfood status.