welcome...

...to the HeartBeet website

According to the Blood Pressure Association there are about 16 million people in the UK with a blood pressure higher than 140/90mmHg – the upper limit of normal. This means that one in every three adults now have high blood pressure, with larger numbers affected in older age groups.

Sometimes the first symptom will be a stroke or heart attack (yes, you should go and get tested now!). Current treatment is with tablets but unfortunately many patients, especially if they do not feel unwell, do not like taking tablets every day and the treatment is essentially lifelong. This is what makes the recent research by a group of doctors at St. Bartholomew’s and the Royal London Hospital particularly important. They have shown that a daily dose of natural beetroot juice can have as much effect on blood pressure in healthy volunteers as a conventional tablet prescribed by a doctor.

Why beetroot juice? Well, beetroot is unusual in that it contains very high levels of nitrate. All plants need nitrate to grow and make protein. Beetroot is just better than the others at taking it up from the soil and storing it in its swollen root.

"Ten years ago when we started this research, everyone thought nitrate was a toxic substance which should be avoided, but it was then realised that our own body makes this mineral and concentrates it in our saliva," says Professor Ben Benjamin. "Bacteria on the surface of our tongue convert the nitrate to a more reactive chemical – nitrite, which when swallowed very easily converts to nitric oxide. This is a very powerful substance which is continually made by our blood vessels to keep our blood pressure low, and is also made in large quantities by white cells in our bloodstream to fight infection. It is also very important in preventing blood clots from forming in arteries by stopping platelet activation".

His Swedish colleagues Jon Lundberg and Eddie Weitzberg have also shown that swallowed nitrite may be important in protecting the stomach lining against ulcers.

Professor Amrita Ahluwalia, who led the beetroot juice research explains, "the magnitude of the blood pressure reduction surprised us all. The results suggest that the nitrate in beetroot juice acts like a natural aspirin to prevent blood clots and protect the lining of blood vessels, as well as having the additional beneficial effect of lowering blood pressure. I am very excited about what our future researches will reveal."

Warning: Drinking beetroot juice may turn your urine pink. This is a perfectly healthy demonstration of the good that it is doing.

recommended links

The William Harvey Institute – One of the worlds leading research centres into cardio-vascular disease established at St Bartholomews Hospital, London.

The Peninsular Medical School – A new medical school based in Plymouth, associated with the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth.

James White Drinks – one of the UK's leading farm-pressed fruit and vegetable juice producers, based in Suffolk.

Love Beetroot – a beetroot information site full of additional information and recipes on beetroot.