With particular reference for males, TV health guru Dr Michael Mosley has revealed that by regularly eating a particular vegetable, you will begin to notice a positive change in your day-to-day life.
It lowers your blood pressure and studies have also shown that it can also transform your sex life.
What vegetable? The beetroot. A “superfood” full of rich and nutritious nitrates, that is said by Dr Moseley to work wonders on the human body.
Beetroot juice as an aphrodisiac
He told Science Focus Magazine: “When we consume nitrate-rich vegetables such as beetroot, something remarkable happens. Bacteria that live in our mouths turn the nitrate into nitrite.
“The nitrite, in turn, is changed by the body into nitric oxide, which, among other things, increases blood flow to various organs, including the penis.
“Adequate levels of nitric oxide are essential for producing and maintaining an erection, which may explain why the Romans used beetroot juice as an aphrodisiac.
“Although I haven’t yet seen any clinical trials showing that consuming beetroot juice will have a Viagra-like effect, there is evidence that the expansion of blood vessels it causes results in other significant changes.”
Blood pressure control
As well as tasting amazing, it appears that the plump purple vegetable also provides excellent health benefits as well.
Dr Mosley recalled an experiment that he conducted on his BBC Two series ‘Trust Me, I’m A Doctor’. He said: “We took a group of volunteers with raised blood pressure and asked them to feast on a diet rich in beetroot.
“After a few weeks, we found that munching a couple of beetroot a day led to a fall in average blood pressure of about 5mmHg, which, if maintained, would translate into a reduction in their risk of stroke and heart attack of about 10 per cent.”
Beetroot availability
The humble vegetable can be found in open markets and also in high end supermarkets such as Shoprite.
Warning
Nutritionists say consuming one cup of beetroot daily is sufficient. Although, eating too much could increase your risk of kidney stones because of their high oxalate content.
“If you have a history of kidney stones, adding beetroot in your diet will aggravate the stones.
“Some people are also allergic to beetroots. Also, people with low blood pressure are advised to reduce intake of beetroot,” a cardiologist, Dr. Grace Daniels warns.
