Why eating veggies might help your heart
The role of inorganic nitrate and nitrite in CVD
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
The primary source of dietary nitrate is vegetables, not processed meats or water.
Most people associate nitrate with cured meats and cancer risk, but this study says 60–80% comes from healthy veggies—reversing the villain narrative.
Practical Takeaways
Add more nitrate-rich vegetables like spinach, beets, arugula, and celery to your daily meals.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
The primary source of dietary nitrate is vegetables, not processed meats or water.
Most people associate nitrate with cured meats and cancer risk, but this study says 60–80% comes from healthy veggies—reversing the villain narrative.
Practical Takeaways
Add more nitrate-rich vegetables like spinach, beets, arugula, and celery to your daily meals.
Publication
Journal
Nutrition Research Reviews
Year
2017
Authors
J. Jackson, Amanda J. Patterson, L. MacDonald-Wicks, M. McEvoy
Related Content
Claims (5)
When you eat foods with natural nitrates, like spinach or beets, bacteria in your mouth turn them into nitrite, which then travels through your blood and becomes nitric oxide—a molecule that helps your blood vessels relax.
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.
We don’t know much about whether eating or drinking things with inorganic nitrate—like some cured meats or vegetables—over many years can lead to heart attacks or heart-related deaths.
Eating vegetables high in natural nitrates might help lower your blood pressure and make your blood vessels more flexible, because your body turns those nitrates into a substance that helps relax your blood vessels and reduce swelling.
Most of the nitrate we get from food comes from vegetables—like spinach, lettuce, and beets—so if you're eating nitrate, it's probably because you ate veggies.