Beetroot juice may help lower blood pressure in older persons.  According to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Exeter in the UK, older people’s nitrate-rich beetroot juice may lower blood pressure because of certain alterations in their oral flora.

Nitrate is a naturally occurring component of a diet high in vegetables and is essential to the body.

The study found that older persons’ blood pressure dropped after consuming a concentrated beetroot juice “shot” twice daily for two weeks. The results published in the journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine, however, showed that the benefit was not seen in the younger group.

According to this study, eating foods high in nitrates changes the oral microbiota in a way that may reduce inflammation and lower blood pressure in elderly individuals. This opens the door for more extensive research to examine how biological sex and lifestyle factors affect how individuals react to dietary nitrate supplementation, according to Professor Andy Jones of the University of Exeter.

39 persons under 30 and 36 adults in their 60s and 70s were recruited for the study. They were given regular doses of beetroot juice, which is rich in nitrate, for two weeks, and a placebo, which is a form of the juice without nitrate.

After consuming the nitrate-rich juice, the older age group’s levels of the potentially dangerous oral bacteria Prevotella significantly decreased, while the growth of bacteria known to be beneficial to health, like Neisseria, increased.

An imbalance between good and bad oral bacteria can reduce the amount of nitrate—which is abundant in diets high in vegetables—that is converted to nitric oxide. According to the experts, nitric oxide is essential for the blood vessels’ normal operation and, consequently, for controlling blood pressure.

Professor Anni Vanhatalo of the varsity added, “The good news is that if you don’t like beetroot, there are many nitrate-rich alternatives like spinach, rocket, fennel, celery, and kale.“