Beetroot juice may help brain of older adults perform more efficiently

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Scientists have published findings of a new study in the Journals of Gerontology: Medical Sciences wherein they have mentioned the benefits of beetroot juice and how it could help brain of older adults perform more efficiently.

According to scientists at Wake Forest University in the US, drinking beetroot juice just before exercising could help brain of older adults perform more efficiently, mirroring the functions of a younger brain. The finding is based on a study involving 26 men and women aged 55 and older who did not exercise, had high blood pressure and took no more than two medications for high blood pressure.

Scientists asked participants to drink a beetroot juice supplement called Beet-It Sport Shot, three times a week for six weeks, one hour before a moderately intense, 50-minute walk on a treadmill. Half the participants received Beet-It containing 560 milligrammes of nitrate, the others received a placebo Beet-It with very little nitrate.

According to the authors, when you exercise, the brain’s somatomotor cortex, which processes information from the muscles, sorts out the cues coming in from the body. Exercise should strengthen the somatomotor cortex. This effectively means when beetroot juice is consumed before exercise, it helps deliver even more oxygen to the brain and creates an excellent environment for strengthening the somatomotor cortex.

Scientists found that post-exercise, the beetroot juice group had much higher levels of nitrate and nitrite than the placebo group after exercise.

Beets contain a high level of dietary nitrate, which is converted to nitrite and then nitric oxide (NO) when consumed. Nitric oxide increases blood flow in the body, and multiple studies have shown it can improve exercise performance in people of various ages, researchers said.