Beetroot juice, which is rich in nitrates, has been linked to changing the community of bacteria living in the mouth.
Now, a new study has found that drinking this juice could reduce older adults’ blood pressure.
Researchers at the University of Exeter compared the response of both younger and older participants to the juice and published the study in Free Radical Biology and Medicine.
Thirty-nine participants under age 30, plus 36 individuals in their 60s and 70s, were split into two separate two-week phases.
One group consumed nitrate-rich beetroot juice shots daily, while the other group — a placebo group — received a version without nitrates. Each group had a “wash-out period” between phases to reset their systems.
Researchers practiced bacterial gene sequencing to identify which microbes were present in the participants’ mouths before and after each treatment.
Older adults who drank nitrate-rich beetroot juice had fewer mouth bacteria called Prevotella, which is linked to inflammation, and more helpful bacteria like Neisseria.
Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel told Fox News Digital that nitrates lead to lower blood pressure by improving flexibility, decreasing resistance in blood vessels and lowering inflammation.
The patients started the study with higher blood pressure, which went down after the beetroot juice — but blood pressure didn’t change with those in the placebo group.
“We know that foods that are high in dietary nitrates such as leafy greens, beets and lettuce can help lower blood pressure,” said Siegel.
He added, “Nitrates are converted to nitric oxide by your body. Nitric oxide is a key molecule in vascular health as it promotes the vessels to dilate and thus reduces blood pressure.”
Co-author Andy Jones, a professor at the University of Exeter, said in a press release that the 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.”
Lee Beniston, an associate director of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, said the “research is a great example of how bioscience can help us better understand the complex links between diet, the microbiome and healthy aging.”
“By 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,” Beniston added.
Both researchers shared that more research is needed.
Siegel noted that “as we age, our levels of bioavailable nitric oxide lower, so it makes sense that we see more of a benefit in consuming dietary nitrates in older patients.”
He said the study does support the well-established belief that a good diet, high in fresh fruits and vegetables, can help manage many chronic medical conditions.
Anyone with high blood pressure or other medical conditions should check with doctors or medical experts before making dietary changes. The same applies to those taking medication.