Calcium, iron, and potassium are some of nutrients in beetroots. Here are six health benfits of beets and three side effects you need to know right now.
Beets Benefits and Side Effects
Benefit: Fights Cancer
Beets offer many cancer-fighting benefits. The red color for which beets are known for is due to betacyanin.
According to some preliminary studies, betacyanin may help defend cells against some damaging carcinogens.
Beets are full of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents, which according to various studies may reduce the risk of certain cancers.
These root vegetables also come with high levels of a unique fiber that may be associated with lowering the risk of colon cancer.
If you’re asking yourself, “how many beets should I eat a day?” Dr. Mehmet Oz has some guidelines.
According to Dr. Mehmet Oz, simply consuming about a quarter cup of beets a day can help reduce the risk of kidney cancer.
Benefit: Lowered Risk of Heart Disease
Among the many nutrients these root vegetables contain are folate and betaine.
One of the many benefits if these two nutrients is their ability to help lower blood levels of homocysteine.
Homocysteine can cause inflammation that damages your arteries, which increases the risk of heart disease.
Benefit: Improved Eye Health
Lutein is an antioxidant that works to protect the eyes from cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.
Fortunately, beets come full of lutein as well as multiple phytochemicals that improve eye health and nerve tissues.
Benefit: Enhanced Endurance
According to multiple studies in the journal Nutrients, one of the benefits of beet juice is enhanced athletic endurance.
Multiple studies concluded that athletes who drank beet juice saw an increase in overall performance efficiency and cardiorespiratory endurance.
Hypoxia is a condition that can negatively impact exercise performance by depriving certain areas of adequate oxygen supply.
Some studies have hypothesized that drinking beetroot juice can lessen the effects of hypoxia in the blood.
Beetroots have high levels of nitrate, which is believed to be the reason behind its performance-boosting properties.
Benefit: Reduced Risk of Dementia
Good circulation is not only necessary for healthy heart health, but also healthy brain health.
By boosting nitric acid production, beets help increase blood flow throughout the body, including the brain.
According to studies done using MRIs, older adults who drank beet juice and had a high-nitrate diet experienced more blood flow to the frontal lobe.
Benefit: Less Constipation
The fiber in beets helps individuals maintain a healthy digestive system.
Foods with high-fiber content help in your digestion and lowers the chances of constipation.
Side Effects
Beets have very few side effects that only affect a handful of people.
Due to the oxalate content in these vegetables, people who are at risk of kidney stones or have arthritis should consult their doctor before adding beets to their routine.
They may also discolor your urine and stool by turning it pink or red.
However, this discoloration is harmless and is due to the pigments contained in beets.
The best way to measure your beet intake and lower the chances of these side effects is by taking a beetroot supplement like HeartBeet Complete.
