Health benefits of beetroot
What is beetroot?
Beetroot, with its golden or red color, has an earthy taste that is rich in nutrients, especially antioxidants. It is grown all over the Mediterranean all the way to Mount Vernon in Washington. You can add it to your dishes, and you will get a lively dish with its colors and nutrients of vitamins, minerals and plant compounds.
The most important health benefits of beetroot is that it contains betalain, which is the most powerful antioxidant capable of protecting the body from diseases. Let's learn about other benefits enjoyed by it?
What are the benefits of beetroot?
- Beets contain all the vitamins and minerals your body needs, including fats, folic acid, protein, carbohydrates, fibre, manganese, copper and iron. In addition to potassium, magnesium, vitamins C and B.
- Folic acid is an essential vitamin for growth and maintaining a healthy heart, and copper is involved in energy production and the synthesis of certain neurotransmitters. And let's not forget manganese, which is essential for bone formation and improving brain function.
Benefits of beetroot for men:
- If you exercise, your body will inevitably need more energy. Athletes find the solution by obtaining the benefits of beetroot by eating it raw or drinking the juice because it contains nitrates, the latter turns into nitric oxide, which enhances blood flow to the muscles. Nitrates also improve the efficiency of mitochondria. , responsible for energy production in cells, for this reason, you will enjoy better athletic performance.
- Beetroot juice increases the time it takes for your body to feel fatigued, enhances cardiorespiratory performance and improves the efficiency of athletes. In addition, scientists have found that juice increases oxygen utilization by up to 20%.
- Aim to eat beetroot 2 hours before exercise because nitrates in the blood peak within 2 or 3 hours of eating beetroot.
Benefits of beetroot for diet:
- In a weight loss plan, you are looking for food that is low in calories and high in fiber and co-nutrients.
- One of the most important benefits of beetroot is that it contains fiber, which increases your feeling of fullness and prevents you from consuming too many calories.
- It is also necessary to maintain the health of the digestive system because it feeds the gut bacteria, and thus increases the amount of stool. The amounts in beetroot help treat constipation, diverticulitis and inflammation of the intestine.
- Beetroot is also low in calories, containing potassium and magnesium, which are able to flush out toxins and excess water from the body. And the matter is not limited to that, as beets are easy to add to the diet through a wide choice, and provide a lot of water and protein, which helps in achieving and maintaining a moderate weight.
Benefits of beetroot for blood pressure:
- The most prominent benefits of beetroot is that it contains folic acid or vitamin B (9), the latter of which is essential for growth on the one hand and brain function on the other hand. It also helps control blood vessel damage, which reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke.
- Beetroot contains a powerful antioxidant called betalain, which helps fight inflammation associated with a number of chronic diseases such as heart, cancer, liver and type 2 diabetes. In fact, a small study found that beetroot juice was effective in decreasing certain inflammatory markers, including C-reactive protein (CRP) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). This study was conducted on 24 people with high blood pressure who drank 250 ml of beetroot juice for two weeks.
- The nitrate present in beetroot improves the dilation of blood vessels, thus increasing blood flow to the brain. Getting blood to the brain helps improve its cognitive functions, such as decision-making and working memory. This property was proven by a study conducted on people with type 2 diabetes, as cognitive functions were 4% faster in those who drank 250 beetroot juice compared to a control group.
- High blood pressure is linked to the risk of heart disease and causes a number of serious health problems. Therefore, everyone is trying to reduce high levels of it with medication and a healthy diet. Beetroot is one of the options to help reduce it temporarily, as potassium contains folic acid and nitrates that relax and dilate blood vessels, and folic acid. Noting that studies have been mixed regarding the effectiveness of folic acid.
- Beetroot juice helps lower both diastolic and systolic blood pressure.
- In a recent study, blood pressure decreased by 5.2 mm of mercury in those who drank 70 ml of nitrate-rich beetroot juice after 30 minutes. This decrease was greater compared to those who drank a nitrate-depleted placebo. It is reported that the effect of beetroot juice subsided within 24 hours.
Benefits of beetroot for the health of the digestive system:
- Folic acid, rutin, kaempferol and caffeic acid are all anti-cancer ingredients. The good news is that they are all found in beets. Test tube studies have shown that beetroot extract can slow down the growth and division of cancer cells. Another showed the role of blood levels of betaine in reducing the risk of cancer.
- It is noteworthy that studies that demonstrated the benefits of beetroot in the fight against cancer resorted to isolated compounds. Therefore, we need more studies based on beetroot.
- Beetroot contains fiber that maintains a healthy digestive system, thus boosting immunity. Also, one of the benefits of red beet is its richness in a special type of betalain, which is called "betacyanin".
- Beetroot is a great addition to your diet. Being low in calories, it helps you maintain a healthy weight and is rich in vitamins and minerals your body needs.
- Hormones change during pregnancy, affecting the digestion process and making it slow, leading to constipation. Foods rich in fiber, such as beetroot, help combat constipation and keep bowel movements regular.
- You can eat boiled beetroot to treat constipation immediately because it contains betalain. Some claim that one of the benefits of beetroot is to improve the health of the digestive system. In addition, it is rich in fiber, which is useful in easing bowel movement.
Benefits of beetroot for pregnant women:
- Do you feel weak or tired during pregnancy? If your answer is yes, then you may suffer from iron deficiency anemia. In this case, you need to get enough iron, which you may find in some foods. One of the benefits of beetroot is that it contains iron and can be added to your diet. It is a plant source that provides you with some iron. But, of course, it is not equal to other sources that contain a high percentage of this metal.
- Beetroot is known to contain powerful antioxidants that help boost the body's immunity in pregnant women. This immunity is required to combat infections and diseases that a pregnant woman may be exposed to.
Benefits of beetroot for dental health:
Beetroot is a good source of silica, so what is its benefit? It is a substance that helps get rid of dental calcification, as it allows the body to use minerals such as magnesium and copper. In addition to the beetroot itself containing calcium and magnesium.
Benefits of beetroot for skin cells:
- Beetroot is rich in vitamin C, which has antioxidant properties, which helps repair and prevent dry skin. In fact, we find this vitamin in the outer and inner layer of the skin, which highlights the benefits of beetroot on skin cells. Oregon State University has discovered that both topical and dietary vitamin C benefit skin cells.
- Beetroot also fights acne thanks to vitamin C, which has anti-inflammatory properties.
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