Drinking 500 ml of beetroot juice a day can significantly reduce blood pressure, UK research suggests. The key beneficial ingredient appears to be nitrate, which is also found in green, leafy vegetables. The researchers found that in healthy volunteers blood pressure was reduced within an hour of drinking the juice. The study by the London School of Medicine and the Peninsula Medical School could suggest a low-cost and natural way to treat hypertension without drugs.
While it took less than an hour to note a reduction in blood pressure in the beetroot juice tests, the effect was more pronounced after three to four hours, and a degree of reduction continued to be observed for up to 24 hours, stated the report, which was published in the February 2008 issue of the journal Hypertension. (Nitrate in the juice is converted in the saliva, by bacteria on the tongue, into nitrite. This nitrite-containing saliva is swallowed and in the acidic environment of the stomach, is either converted into nitric oxide or re-enters the circulation as nitrite.) More than 25% of the world’s adults are considered to be hypertensive and it has been estimated that this figure will increase to 29% by 2025. High blood pressure causes around 50% of coronary heart disease and about 75% of strokes. More research is needed but the key question may be whether people with blood pressure problems are willing to drink beet juice in substantial quantities – about half a litre – every day.
ALA MAY INHIBIT HEART DISEASE
A new study done with mice has discovered that supplements of lipoic acid can inhibit formation of arterial lesions, lower triglycerides and reduce blood vessel inflammation and weight gain – all key issues for addressing cardiovascular disease.
The results, observed in lab mice, cannot be directly extrapolated to humans at this point. But the researchers “strongly suggest that lipoic acid supplementation may be useful as an inexpensive but effective intervention strategy… reducing known risk factors for the development of atherosclerosis and other inflammatory vascular diseases in humans.”
The study found that lipoic acid supplements reduced atherosclerotic lesion formation in two types of mice that are widely used to study cardiovascular disease, by 55% and 40%, respectively. The supplements were also associated with almost 40% less body weight gain, and lower levels of triglycerides in very low-density lipoproteins.
The study by scientists at the Linus Pauling Institute and College of Veterinary Medicine at Oregon State University, and the Department of Medicine at the University of Washington, was reported in the January 2008 issue of Circulation, a journal of the American Heart Association.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Canada. Atherosclerosis, or what used to be called “hardening of the arteries,” is now seen as a chronic inflammatory disease that involves a process resulting in fat deposits in the arteries. This chronic process often begins during adolescence, can continue for a lifetime, and has been linked to obesity, poor diet, lack of exercise, diabetes, high blood pressure, genetic predisposition and other causes. The fatty deposits in arteries can ultimately trigger a heart attack or stroke.
Researchers now believe that high levels of alpha lipoic acid can be particularly useful in preventing this process by inhibiting the formation of the adhesion molecules. It can also lower triglycerides, another important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. ALA may also function as an antioxidant and help to normalize insulin signaling and glucose metabolism.
Alpha lipoic acid is a naturally occurring nutrient found at low levels in green leafy vegetables, potatoes and meats, especially organ meats such as kidney, heart or liver. The amounts used in this research would not be obtainable by any normal diet, researchers said, and for human consumption might equate to supplements of about 2,000 milligrams per day.
This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
WHOLE GRAINS REDUCE CHRONIC DISEASE
Diets with high amounts of whole grains may help achieve significant weight loss and reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, according to a team of Penn State researchers at University Park and the College of Medicine. Abdominal weight loss was greater in those who consumed whole grains than in those who ate refined grains during the study period.
The whole grain group experienced a 38% decrease in C-reactive protein levels in their blood. (A high level of this inflammatory marker is thought to place patients at higher risk for diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease.)
Participants in the whole grain group also showed an increased intake of fiber and magnesium, both of which may prevent or delay the potential onset of diabetes.
The study’s findings are published in the January 2008 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
TEST YOUR HEALTH SMARTS
We asked what we thought was an easy multiple-choice quiz question last month but none of the answers picked the right answer. So what gives your body the most energy: vitamins, protein, fats, sugars, grains or other carbohydrates? Energy comes only from calories and since vitamins hold no calories, you can rule them out. Sugars, grains and carbs hold 4 calories per gram and offer some energy. But fat furnishes 9 calories per gram and therefore, gives the body the most energy.
If you wish to respond to News Briefs, send email to: healthnewsbriefs@gmail.com
PAPER… OR PLASTIC?
Whole Foods Market, the world’s leading natural foods supermarket, announced February 16 that it will end the use of disposable plastic grocery bags at the checkouts in all of its 270 stores in the US, Canada, and the UK, with the goal of being plastic bag-free by Earth Day, April 22, 2008. The 150 million bags used annually by the chain will now be made of recycled paper. However, debate rages about whether this will be better for the environment.
Critics point out that producing a paper bag requires over four times the energy that it does to produce a plastic bag. Also, the majority of paper comes from tree pulp and the impact of the resulting deforestation is enormous. (In 1999, 14 million trees were cut to produce the 10 billion paper grocery bags used by Americans that year alone.)
In other words, paper bag production delivers a detrimental double-whammy as forests (major absorbers of greenhouse gases) are cut down, combined with the actual manufacturing process of the bags, which produces toxic greenhouse gases, acid rain, and water pollution.
Most people believe that paper in landfills breaks down faster than plastic. However, current research suggests that paper does not degrade at a substantially faster rate than plastic once it’s in a landfill. This is because virtually nothing degrades completely in modern landfills due to lack of water, light, oxygen and other factors necessary for successful bio-degradation.
(Ed note: Whole Foods Market’s aim to reduce plastic consumption is to be applauded, and we welcome their continuing efforts to make their bags more eco-friendly. Their recycled bag initiatives have kickstarted an important debate.)
HEALTH NOTE
Are you getting enough of this anti-cancer mineral?
Eating lots of fruits, vegetables, grains and nuts – all high in magnesium – cuts the number of tumours caused by colon cancer by 34 per cent and rectal cancer by 55 per cent, according to a Swedish study. Magnesium helps regulate cell growth and without it, rectal and colon cancer cells may grow out of control. The optimum intake is 310 to 420 mg per day.
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