Beetroot Benefits For Health
The health benefits of beetroot include treatment of anemia, indigestion, constipation, piles, kidney disorders, dandruff, gallbladder disorders, cancer, and heart diseases. They also help to prevent macular degeneration, improve blood circulation, aid in skin care, prevent cataracts, and treat respiratory problems. These benefits of beetroots can be attributed to their richness in nutrients, vitamins, and minerals.
What are Beetroot?
Beetroot or beetroots, as they are often called, belong to the Chenopodiaceous family. Their history stretches back to ancient times, and the earliest signs of their cultivation were approximately 4,000 years ago in the Mediterranean region. From there, they were probably transported to Babylon, and by the 9th century AD, they had made their way into the Chinese culture and cuisine. They have long been associated with sexuality and have been used as an aphrodisiac for thousands of years.
Beetroots are frequently added as an ingredient to salads, soups, and pickles and are also used as a natural coloring agent. Even though beetroot are available throughout the year, they are still considered seasonal vegetables. Besides their use as an actual food item, beetroots are valuable as a source of sucrose, which makes them a viable replacement for tropical sugar cane. They are frequently used to make refined sugar.
Beetroot Nutritional Value
Beetroot have a wide range of health benefits because of their nutritional content, including vitamins, minerals, and organic compounds like carotenoids, lutein/zeaxanthin, glycine, betaine, dietary fiber, vitamin C, magnesium, iron, copper, and phosphorus, while also being a source of beneficial flavonoids called anthocyanins. They are very low in calories, with no cholesterol, but they do have the highest sugar content of all vegetables.
Health Benefits of Beetroot
The roots and leaves of beetroots have plenty of medicinal uses which include the following:
Prevent Certain Cancers
Studies have revealed that beetroots are good at preventing skin, lung, and colon cancer since they contain the pigment betacyanins, which counteracts cancerous cell growth. Nitrates used in meats as preservatives can stimulate the production of nitrosamine compounds in the body which can also result in cancer. Studies have now shown that beetroot juice inhibits the cell mutations caused by these compounds. Researchers in Hungary have also discovered that beetroot juice and its powdered form slows down tumor development. Adding a healthy amount of beetroots to your diet can keep your body cancer-free for a very long time.
Capillary Fragility
The flavonoids and vitamin C in beetroot help to support the structure of capillaries.
Prevent Strokes
A deficiency of potassium in the body increases the risk of stroke. Therefore, potassium-rich beetroot is recommended to improve heart health for that reason as well. Potassium is called a vasodilator, meaning that it relaxes the blood vessels and reduces blood pressure throughout the body. When blood pressure is reduced and the vessels and arteries are no longer contracted, blood clots are far less likely to form or get stuck, and the plaque that may have built up along the walls of your blood vessels will not accumulate to form additional clots. Clots are what eventually lead to heart attack and stroke, so beetroot and their potassium content are quite a health booster!
What is more impressive is that studies have shown the effect to be ongoing. Blood pressure will continue to drop over the course of 24 hours, as though beetroots are naturally delaying their effects so the body can adjust, rather than plummeting the blood pressure at a dangerous speed.
Act as Aphrodisiac
Beetroot have been considered an aphrodisiac or sexual booster for millennia. Part of this stems from the fact that beetroot contain significant levels of the mineral boron, which has been shown to boost the production of sexual hormones. This can lead to a boost in your libido, increased fertility, sperm mobility improvement, and a reduction in frigidity in the bedroom. Your sexual life can get a legitimate and time-tested push in the right direction by adding beetroot to your diet.
Improve Liver Health
Betaines in beetroot juice stimulate the functions of the liver and keep it healthy.
Reduce Birth Defects
Beetroot are good for pregnant women since they are a source of B vitamin folate which helps in the development of infant’s spinal column. Deficiency of folate can lead to a variety of conditions called neural tube defects.
Prevent Cataracts
The presence of beta-carotene, which is a form of vitamin A, helps to prevent age-related blindness called cataracts as well as a reduction in macular degeneration that commonly occurs as we get older. Vitamin A is considered a powerful antioxidant substance that is involved in many essential activities of the body.
Boost Energy
Beetroots contain a significant amount of carbohydrates that provide energy for prolonged sports activities. These are the natural building blocks of energy metabolism, and beetroot provide them without any of the negative side effects of many other carbohydrate-heavy foods. When the body has a sufficient amount of carbohydrates, it is able to fuel all of the necessary functions as well, including the important metabolic reactions that keep your organ systems functioning efficiently.
In a related function, researchers have noticed that oxygen uptake is greatly increased by people who drink beetroot juice due to the high nitrate content. The results show that oxygen uptake increases by up to 16%, which is an unheard of boost and is actually more than a normal person can improve by, even when training extensively. This increases stamina for exercising and participating in sports, making beetroot juice an interesting sports drink that most people would never consider.
Reduce Macular Degeneration
The beta-carotene present in beetroot aids in reducing or slowing macular degeneration in the eyes. Macular degeneration is often associated with an increase in free radicals, which drastically affect the premature aging process of many people. Beta-carotene is a powerful form of vitamin A, which has antioxidant capabilities and defends the eyes against the damaging effects of free radicals.
