Beets for the brain

Beetroot juice is drunk every day with a guarantee of a healthy and efficient mind in old age.

So far, several studies have been carried out that confirmed that beet juice can lower blood pressure. Scientists at Wake Forest University Translational Science Center wanted to prove that this juice also improves blood flow to the brain. This would be particularly important for older people with very poor blood supply in the brain, which may be the cause of dementia and cognitive decline in the elderly.

In beetroots, as in celery, cabbage, spinach or lettuce leaves, high concentrations of nitrogen compounds have been found, which are transformed by good bacteria in our mouth into the active form of nitrates. Nitrates dilate cerebral vessels, which in turn results in increased blood flow and oxygenation of poorly perfused areas of the brain.

Therefore, a study was conducted on fourteen people aged 70 - years who were eating a diet rich in foods with high nitrate content. Then, using magnetic resonance, it was examined how the individual areas of their brains are supplied with blood. It turned out that due to the high-nitrite diet, the areas of the brain, which were usually covered by the degeneration process leading to dementia and weakening of cognitive functions, were characterized by increased blood flow.

Researchers and companies will attempt to create food products based on beet juice.