Help Reduce Inflammation with Beetroot
Because of its unique and powerful combination of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, it’s not surprising why beetroot comes with loads of health benefits.
Also known as garden beet, red beet, table beet, or simply beet, this amazing root vegetable’s popularity has been on the rise in recent years.
To better understand why this is, learning more about its health benefits would be a good place to start.
Offers an Impressive Nutritional Profile
From its nutritional profile itself, you can already tell how effective and powerful this root vegetable can be.
This is because it’s packed with vitamins and minerals that include the following:
- Vitamin B-6 for enhanced metabolism support and red blood cell production
- Calcium for bone growth and strength
- Folate for good DNA and cell health
- Magnesium for improved heart, muscle, and nerve health
- Zinc for wound healing and immune system boost
These are just some of the more popular minerals found in beetroot. It also comes rich in iron, manganese, phosphorous, and copper, just to name a few.
Helps Reduce Inflammation
Betalains play an important role in the treatment of inflammatory diseases.
One study showed that phenethylamine-betaxanthin, a type of betalain, can help reduce the activity of an inflammatory enzyme, effectively lowering the risk of inflammation.
The good news is beetroot juice comes with lots of betalains, giving you enough reason to regularly drink one no matter what time of the day.
Helps Prevent Anemia
Iron plays an important role in transporting oxygen throughout the body.
Lower levels of iron can develop into a condition known as iron deficiency anemia which is characterized by symptoms such as dizziness, fatigue, headache, shortness of breath, and rapid heartbeat.
Beetroot is a good source of iron and adding it to your diet can help minimize your risk of catching the said condition.
If consuming the beetroot vegetable every day becomes too challenging, you can always take beetroot supplements as a replacement.
Help Protect the Liver
The liver is one of the most important organs in the body which is why protecting it should be given priority.
The antioxidants, vitamin A, vitamin B-6, and iron found in beetroot help protect the liver from oxidative stress and inflammation while also enhancing the organ’s ability to eliminate toxins from the body.
One animal study conducted on rats showed that rodents that received a beetroot extract had minimal liver damage compared to control rats.
Helps Improve Blood Pressure
Research suggests that beetroots can help lower blood pressure and experts believe that its nitrate content may be responsible.
This makes sense because the body converts nitrate into nitric oxide which dilates the blood vessels and improves blood flow, thereby lowering blood pressure in the process.
A recent study showed that taking 250 ml of beetroot juice daily for 4 consecutive weeks lowered the blood pressure of participants suffering from hypertension.
It should be noted however that people who are already in medication may not feel the effects of beetroot per the results of a study conducted in 2015 where people who were taking blood pressure medications claimed that beetroot juice did not lower their blood pressure.
Final Thoughts
With the number of nutrients it has to offer, there’s no doubt that beetroot can positively affect one’s health. The effects it has on the liver and blood pressure can go a very long way in allowing you to live a healthier, disease-free life which is why adding beetroot to your daily regimen would be a very smart decision.
