Researchers from Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne, Australia, found that within six hours of drinking beetroot juice lowered systolic blood pressure by an average of four to five points among a small group of healthy men.
Researchers say that drop may seem small, but on a public health level a reduction like that would equate to a 10 per cent reduction in deaths due to heart disease, website WebMD reported.
"It's promising that we can see an effect from a single dose. That effect might be even greater over the long term if they are drinking it day upon day," said researcher Leah Coles.
Researchers said this is the first study to look at the effects of adding beetroot juice to a healthy person's diet without making any other diet or lifestyle changes.
In the study, 15 men and 15 women drank either 500 ml of a beetroot juice beverage consisting of about three-fourths beet juice and one-fourth apple juice, or a placebo juice.
They were then monitored for 24 hours. The same procedure was repeated two weeks later, with those who drank the placebo on the first round receiving beetroot juice on the second.
Among both men and women, the results showed a trend to lower systolic blood pressure six hours after drinking the beetroot juice.
When researchers limited their analysis to men only, they found a significant reduction of about 4.7 points among those who drank the beetroot juice.
Previous studies have also suggested that beetroot's blood-pressure-lowering effects may not be as strong in women.
In this case, Coles said it may be partially explained by the fact that the women in the study were older, and many were on prescription medications, such as oral contraceptives.
Experts say it's the high concentration of nitrates in beets that are responsible for the benefits.
In a lengthy biological process, nitrates from dietary sources like beets and leafy green vegetables are converted to nitric oxide within the body.
The nitric oxide then relaxes blood vessels and dilates them, which helps the blood flow more easily and lowers blood pressure.
"Whether from foods or from juice, you are seeing a consistent effect of nitrates in lowering blood pressure," said registered dietitian Norman Hord, an associate professor at College of Public Health and Human Sciences at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Ore.
"It's probably the most potent blood-pressure-lowering component of the diet," Hord said.
The study was published in Nutrition Journal.
