Due to genetics, some people may be at increased risk of high blood pressure. But for those who don't, physical exercise can bring the numbers down to some degree. A research projects. reciente, published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, suggests there's another way to keep them on a downward trend: eat the right kinds of vegetables.
Researchers from the Netherlands recruited 15 healthy young men and women, mean age 25, and asked them to eat nitrate-rich vegetables such as bok choy, radish, lettuce, spinach and arugula, every day at lunch for a week.
After a week of "rest" from eating green leafy vegetables, the participants consumed beetroot juice daily, which is often used as a supplement when dietary nitrate levels are low.
Both eating nitrate-rich vegetables and drinking beet juice achieved the same effect of reduce systolic and diastolic blood pressure when measured about two hours after lunch. The volunteers' levels also remained lower during the study period.
Benefits of including nitrate in the diet
The key is the nitrate. Dietary nitrate increases the amount of that substance in the body's plasma supply, and in turn increases the conversion to nitrate and eventually nitric oxide, a potent vasodilator. That means it helps the muscles in the blood vessel walls to open up more, and reduced constriction allows blood to flow more easily and reduces pressure.
The study has obvious limitations, including a small number of participants and a short time period. Also, this was done in healthy young people, not those with diagnosed hypertension.
Despite those caveats, it's hard to see a downside to including more dark, leafy greens in your diet, especially considering the wealth of other research connecting these vegetables to other health benefits, including cholesterol reduction and reduced risk of cancer.
Plus, you're spoiled for choice when it comes to what to eat. The beet has a large amount of nitrates, but the highlight is the arugula, followed by pak choy and the leaves of radish. You can also get a lot of the endive, el fennel and swede. Even the Dried cranberries and nuts They can add some nitrate to a meal.
So if you're wondering what to have for lunch, try a salad with mixed greens, dried fruit, and nuts. This may be one more reason to do it: you'll be doing your cardiovascular system a favor.