When to drink beet juice to lower blood pressure
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Although the best time to drink beet juice to potentially lower blood pressure is subject to debate, it can be in the morning on an empty stomach. The body can better absorb nitrates in beet juice in this way, and the morning dose can help blurs the normal increase in blood pressure that starts just before wake up and culminate around noon.
Jump at the main dishes to remember.
How beet helps lower blood pressure
Beet is one of the richest food sources of nitrate, a molecule composed of nitrogen and oxygen, which the body converts into a gas called nitric oxide.
Nitric oxide, in turn, works like a vasodilator, widening (dilating) blood vessels to increase blood flow and potentially lower blood pressure.
Studies suggest that the consumption of beet juice at doses of up to 250 milliliters (8 ounces liquid) is safe and can be useful for people with hypertension (blood pressure) due to its vasodilator properties.
Talk to your health care provider
Talk to a health care provider before drinking beet juice for its effects on blood pressure. This is particularly important if you take drugs against blood pressure because the combined effect could lower your blood pressure too much.
Why a morning dose can help
The current whole of research supports the affirmations that beet can positively influence blood pressure. Many studies involve morning doses of beet juice taken 30 minutes before breakfast.
Aside from the fact that beet juice contains a higher concentration of nitrates than raw or cooked beets, two other reasons for which this approach can be beneficial are:
- Maximum absorption: Drinking beet juice on an empty stomach improves absorption and can extend the vasodilator effect of the plant. As the juice passes through the intestine, nitrates are absorbed in the first parts of the colon, reaching maximum concentration in the blood within three hours and remaining at therapeutic levels for about 10 hours.
- Optimal effect: By having beet juice in the morning, the rise and the drop in nitrates coincide with the rise and the daily drop in blood pressure due to the circadian rhythm of the body. Normally, the blood pressure begins to increase a few hours before woken up. Subsequently, he continues to climb, culminating around noon and gradually falling in the late afternoon and evening.
In theory, drinking beet juice on an empty stomach 30 minutes before breakfast will have the strongest vasodilator effect when the blood pressure is traditionally at its peak.
Is there proof that it works?
Although there is substantial evidence of the beet effect on blood pressure, the debate remains as to its usefulness for people with hypertension and if the time of the dose is a difference.
Here is a part of what the current research says:
- Influence on blood pressure: A review in 2022 of studies reported that the daily consumption of beet juice reduced systolic blood pressure (higher) of people with hypertension of approximately 5 millimeters of mercury (MMHG) but not their diastolic blood pressure (lower). This is important because high diastolic blood pressure is predictive of future heart disease in adults under the age of 50.
- Dusimat of doses: A 2024 study involving healthy athletes revealed that the beet supplements taken in the morning were slightly better to reduce the systolic blood pressure than a dose of the evening (3 against 2 mmHg), but that a dose of the afternoon was slightly better than a morning dose (4 against 3 mmHg).
- Duration of effects: Studies suggest that the advantages of beet juice can increase slightly over time. According to a 2019 study, the systolic blood pressure from older adults decreased after two weeks of beet juice to drink and continued to drop by the fourth week. After that, the gains can be maintained, but begin to level as the levels of blood nitrate trains.
What it means for high blood pressure
All in all, the effects of beet juice on blood pressure are significant but modest. As such, drinking beet juice (or taking a beet supplement) can support the treatment of hypertension in conjunction with lifestyle changes, such as healthy diet, routine exercise, damage to your ideal weight and quit smoking.
In terms of calendar, most evidence indicates an early dosage (in the morning or the beginning of the afternoon) rather than the possibility of late dose (at the end of the afternoon or evening) to help lower blood pressure. Taking a dose before breakfast can increase the absorption of nitrates, but studies have not proven it.
Beet in any form whatsoever should not be considered as an alternative to standard medical treatments for hypertension, including inhibitors of the angiotensin conversion enzyme (ACE), diuretics (“water pills”), beta-blockers and blocking channel blockers.
Main to remember
- Beet juice can help reduce pressure by increasing nitrate levels in the blood, which helps widen blood vessels. Doses up to 8 ounces per day have been consumed safely.
- Drinking beets in the morning can be a better option because it provides nitrate at the same time of the day when the blood pressure is the highest.
- Although beet juice is potentially useful for lowering systolic blood pressure, it cannot be considered as an effective means of treatment for people with hypertension.