Beets for Brains!

Some rights reserved by Darwin Bell

New research from Wake Forest University indicates that a daily serving of beet juice boosts blood flow to your brain, which can keep your mind sharp and can help protect against dementia and poor cognition as you age.  

Summarizing the research findings, an article on Medical News today discusses how nitrate-rich beets work to boost blood flow in areas of the brain that need it.  As nitrate is processed by the body, it is turned into nitrite, and this opens up blood vessels and thus improves blood flow.  Previous research has looked at how eating beets can lower blood pressure and improve exercise performance, but this is the first study that has examined how this super-food impacts the brain.

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Contributed by Lora M. Dziemiela, Program Secretary