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From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.<\/p>\n
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.<\/p>\n
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.<\/p>\n
Your support makes all the difference.<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nRead more<\/span><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nA common vegetable has been found to reduce blood pressure in older people, a new study suggests. <\/p>\n
Beetroot juice can lower blood pressure in those aged 60 and above by suppressing potentially harmful bacteria in the mouth.<\/p>\n
Experts at the University of Exeter compared the responses of younger adults and older adults to beetroot juice, which is rich in dietary nitrates.<\/p>\n
These nitrates are converted by the body into nitric oxide, which helps to relax and widen blood vessels and lower blood pressure.<\/p>\n
The study included 39 adults under the age of 30, and 36 people in their 60s and 70s.<\/p>\n
For two weeks, each group were given shots of beetroot juice.<\/p>\n
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open image in gallery<\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>Beetroot juice is rich in dietary nitrates (Alamy\/PA)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nAfter a two-week break, during which people were given anti-septic mouthwash everyday, the groups were then given a placebo juice with the nitrate stripped out for a fortnight.<\/p>\n
Researchers used gene sequencing to analyse the bacteria present in the mouth after each part of the trial.<\/p>\n
In both groups, the so-called oral microbiome \u2013 the complex ecosystem of microorganisms in the mouth \u2013 changed after drinking the nitrate-rich juice, although the effects differed.<\/p>\n
In older people, there was a decline in common bacteria that can sometimes cause infections, and an increase in bacteria that can benefit health.<\/p>\n
Researchers also found the older group had decreased blood pressure after drinking the nitrate-rich juice for two weeks.<\/p>\n
Professor Andy Jones, of the University of Exeter, said: \u201cThis study shows that nitrate-rich foods alter the oral microbiome in a way that could result in less inflammation, as well as a lowering of blood pressure in older people.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis paves the way for larger studies to explore the influence of lifestyle factors and biological sex in how people respond to dietary nitrate supplementation.\u201d<\/p>\n
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open image in gallery<\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>Older adults are encouraged to consume more nitrate-rich vegetables (PA)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nProfessor Anni Vanhatalo, of the University of Exeter, added: \u201cWe know that a nitrate-rich diet has health benefits, and older people produce less of their own nitric oxide as they age.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey also tend to have higher blood pressure, which can be linked to cardiovascular complications like heart attack and stroke.<\/p>\n
\u201cEncouraging older adults to consume more nitrate-rich vegetables could have significant long term health benefits.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe good news is that if you don\u2019t like beetroot, there are many nitrate-rich alternatives like spinach, rocket, fennel, celery and kale.\u201d<\/p>\n
The study, published in the journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine, was funded by a BBSRC Industrial Partnership Award.<\/p>\n
Dr Lee Beniston, associate director for industry partnerships and collaborative research and development at BBSRC, said: \u201cThis research is a great example of how bioscience can help us better understand the complex links between diet, the microbiome and healthy ageing.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy uncovering how dietary nitrate affects oral bacteria and blood pressure in older adults, the study opens up new opportunities for improving vascular health through nutrition.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference. Read more A common vegetable has been found to reduce blood pressure in older people, a new study suggests. Beetroot juice can lower blood pressure in those aged 60 and above by suppressing potentially harmful bacteria in the mouth. Experts at the University of Exeter compared the responses of younger adults and older adults to beetroot juice, which is rich in dietary nitrates. These nitrates are converted by the body into nitric oxide, which helps to relax and widen blood vessels and lower blood pressure. The study included 39 adults under the age of 30, and 36 people in their 60s and 70s. For two weeks, each group were given shots of beetroot juice. open image in gallery Beetroot juice is rich in dietary nitrates (Alamy\/PA) After a two-week break, during which people were given anti-septic mouthwash everyday, the groups were then given a placebo juice with the nitrate stripped out for a fortnight. Researchers used gene sequencing to analyse the bacteria present in the mouth after each part of the trial. In both groups, the s…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7284,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8042"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8042"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8042\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7284"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8042"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8042"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8042"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}