The red juice that could help lower blood pressure and protect the heart

High blood pressure is thought to affect more than 110 million Americans.

Research suggests that an unusual red drink could help tackle a serious health issue. Studies have shown that consuming beet juice could reduce high blood pressure.

Also known as hypertension, high blood pressure is a huge issue in the US, with more than 110 million Americans affected. This condition means your heart has to work harder than usual to pump blood around your body.

This puts extra pressure on the heart, blood vessels and other organs over time. If not treated, it can have serious consequences, with high blood pressure linked to medical emergencies such as strokes and heart attacks.

A major contributing factor to hypertension is diet, with foods high in salt among the worst offenders. This is due to the fact that salt helps the body to hold on to water, driving the blood pressure up.

But what we eat and drink can also have the opposite effect. According to research a drink made from a root vegetable could slash your blood pressure reading, if consumed daily.

A team from Queen Mary University of London discovered that drinking beet (also known as beetroot) juice daily had a significant effect on blood pressure. In a study, published in Hypertension journal in 2015, they found that a 250ml glass of beet juice led to an average decrease in blood pressure of about 8/4 mmHg.

This meant that many of the study participants saw their blood pressure levels back into a safe range. Researchers said this was significant as it is thought every 2mmHg increase in blood pressure increases the likelihood of death from heart disease by seven per cent and stroke by 10 per cent.

The blood pressure-lowering benefits of beets have been linked to the high levels of dietary nitrates found in the plant. Other foods rich in nitrates include spinach, rhubarb, celery, lettuce and watercress.

In a university release, lead study author Professor Amrita Ahluwalia explained: “Diseases of the heart and blood vessels – which can cause heart attacks and strokes – remain the biggest cause of death worldwide. However, unlike some other serious illnesses, we are fortunate in that we can make certain lifestyle changes which dramatically improve our heart and blood vessel health.

“This research has proven that a daily inorganic nitrate dose can be as effective as medical intervention in reducing blood pressure and the best part is we can get it from beetroot and other leafy green vegetables.”

Another scientific paper reported to a similar conclusion. A meta-analysis, published in Frontiers in Nutrition in 2022, looked at seven existing studies and concluded that nitrates found in beet juice reduces systolic blood pressure, but not diastolic blood pressure in patients with arterial hypertension.

This concluded that daily consumption of the juice over 60 days saw best results. If you are concerned about your blood pressure you should speak to your doctor.