Beetroot for the brain! Reducing Alzheimer’s risk 🧠
Beetroot for brain health.
Can Beetroot (Beta vulgaris) Support Brain Health? A Perspective Review on Alzheimer’s Disease
Study Details
This new review summarised the available evidence on beetroot and its potential for reducing risk and symptoms of Alzheimer’s 🔍
Beetroot combines the following compounds that may deliver synergistic effects on for the brain…
👉 Inorganic nitrate
👉 Betalains
👉 Polyphenols
👉 Fibre
Here are the key findings ⬇️
Key Findings
👉 Higher vegetable-derived nitrate intake (70 - 100 mg/day) is linked to up to a 66% lower dementia risk
👉 Acute doses of beetroot (providing 500 mg nitrate) improves blood flow to brain regions vulnerable in Alzheimer’s (e.g. frontal lobe)
👉 A single dose of ~250 mg dietary nitrate increases nitric oxide bioavailability and vascular responsiveness
👉 Beetroot phytochemicals (betalains / betanin) have been shown to protect neurons in preclinical models
👉 8 - 12 weeks of beetroot juice (~180 mg nitrate/day) reduces markers of systemic inflammation
👉 Beetroot may act via the microbiota–brain axis, by increasing nitrate-reducing oral bacteria and gut SCFA production
Conclusion
Beetroot can be a multi-target, whole-food candidate for brain health that aligns with the complex, vascular-metabolic nature of Alzheimer’s disease 🧠🧩
Regular inclusion of nitrate-rich vegetables or beetroot (~300 - 500 mg nitrate/day) may be a practical, low-cost strategy to support vascular and brain health in ageing populations ✅
Reference
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41374080/
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