A nutritional scientist has spoken about a ‘superfood’ which costs 30p each which can reducing inflammation and lowering blood pressure. Tim Spector professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London and co-founder of the health App Zoe spoke out on Instagram about how the incredible benefits of the beetroot for circulation
Tesco sells five beetroots in a pack for £1.50 meaning they’re just 30p each. Taking to Instagram today, he also revealed that since Roman times they are thought to have aphrodisiac qualities.
He said: “I’m going to tell you why beetroot was the favoured symbol in Roman brothels. They have lots of good health properties. They contain a defence chemical polyphenol called betae, which is quite unique and is really good for inflammation, and they contain the precursors of nitric oxide, which is a gas that is important for the change in our blood vessels.
“This explains why many studies have shown that it can slightly increase sports performance in athletes. It also explains why there’s lots of anecdotal reports that it improves sexual performance in males, although unfortunately there’s still no hard data on that. Finally and most importantly, beetroots definitely reduce blood pressure by about 3% in most normal people. So these are really good reasons why you should be going out now and enjoying them.”
Previously Prof Spector has said that one of the beneficial chemicals it contains is polyphenol which is excellent for reducing inflammation, and also nitrates which are very important for improving blood flow by increasing the size of blood vessels – which is good for athletic performance and lowering blood pressure./
Prof Spector said: “They contain a defence chemical polyphenol called betaine, which is quite unique and is really good for inflammation. And they contain the precursors of nitric oxide, which is a gas that is important for the change in our blood vessels.
“This explains why many studies have shown that it can slightly increase sports performance in athletes. It also explains why there’s lots of anecdotal reports that it improves sexual performance in males, although unfortunately, there’s still no hard data on that. Finally and most importantly, beetroots reduce blood pressure by about 3% in most people. So these are really good reasons why you should be going out now and enjoying them.”
Diet and health expert Michael Mosley has spoken about ‘powerhouse’ beetroots previously and said: “Beetroots are particularly rich in nitrates. The nitrates are converted by the bacteria in your saliva into nitric oxide and of course that causes the expansion in your blood vessels and therefore greater blood flow to your extremities.
“Love it or hate it, this purple powerhouse has been shown in clinical trials to be an effective way to reduce blood pressure and also improve athletic performance. It’s also packed with inflammation-reducing anti oxidants making it ideal for anyone concerned about heart health.”