Scientists gave healthy people small doses of inorganic nitrate for three days, while measuring the amount of oxygen absorbed while these people rode exercise bikes. While researchers do not recommend swallowing nitrate supplements, they still found an interesting link between nitrates and the increased efficiency of the mitochondria that make our cells work.
Senile dementia
“We are talking about an amount of nitrate equivalent to what is found in two or three beets, or a plate of spinach,” says Eddie Weitzberg of Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. “We know that diets high in fruits and vegetables can help prevent the onset of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, but we don’t know exactly which active substances make this possible,” he adds. “This study shows that inorganic nitrate could be at the origin of this phenomenon”.
Until recently, the nutritional value of nitrates had never been studied. It was even suggested that they could be toxic. Good news, another recent study showed that the nitrates in beet juice improve blood flow to the brain, keeping it alert and therefore potentially reducing the effects of senile dementia. According to the researchers, it is enough to consume 473 ml of beet juice per day for this.
High concentrations of nitrates are found in celery, cabbage, and other leafy greens like spinach and some salad varieties, and of course beets.
