How veggies can help your heart work better
Mechanisms of the protective effects of nitrate and nitrite in cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Your body makes a helpful gas called nitric oxide that keeps blood vessels healthy. Eating foods with nitrate and nitrite (like spinach or beets) gives your body extra ingredients to make more of this gas, even when oxygen is low.
Surprising Findings
Nitric oxide can be produced without oxygen via dietary nitrate and nitrite.
It’s widely assumed that nitric oxide production requires oxygen and enzymes—this shows a completely different, oxygen-free pathway exists, acting like an emergency backup system.
Practical Takeaways
Add nitrate-rich foods like beets, spinach, arugula, or celery to your daily meals to support blood vessel health.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Your body makes a helpful gas called nitric oxide that keeps blood vessels healthy. Eating foods with nitrate and nitrite (like spinach or beets) gives your body extra ingredients to make more of this gas, even when oxygen is low.
Surprising Findings
Nitric oxide can be produced without oxygen via dietary nitrate and nitrite.
It’s widely assumed that nitric oxide production requires oxygen and enzymes—this shows a completely different, oxygen-free pathway exists, acting like an emergency backup system.
Practical Takeaways
Add nitrate-rich foods like beets, spinach, arugula, or celery to your daily meals to support blood vessel health.
Publication
Journal
Nitric oxide : biology and chemistry
Year
2020
Authors
Yang Liu, K. Croft, J. Hodgson, Trevor A. Mori, N. Ward
Related Content
Claims (2)
Eating certain foods or supplements like L-citrulline or nitrate-rich vegetables can help your body make more nitric oxide, a molecule that helps your blood vessels relax and work better.
Eating foods with nitrate and nitrite, like leafy greens and cured meats, might help lower blood pressure, protect your heart when blood flow is interrupted, improve blood vessel function, prevent blood clots, help your cells make energy better, and improve signs of metabolic syndrome—even when your body doesn’t have enough oxygen.