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Drinking specific vegetable juice could reduce older adults’ blood pressure, study finds

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Drinking specific vegetable juice could reduce older adults’ blood pressure, study finds

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Beetroot juice, which is rich in nitrates, has been linked to changing the community of bacteria living in the mouth.

Now, a new study has found that drinking this juice could reduce older adults’ blood pressure.

Researchers at the University of Exeter compared the response of both younger and older participants to the juice and published the study in Free Radical Biology and Medicine.

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Thirty-nine participants under age 30, plus 36 individuals in their 60s and 70s, were split into two separate two-week phases.

One group consumed nitrate-rich beetroot juice shots daily, while the other group — a placebo group — received a version without nitrates. Each group had a “wash-out period” between phases to reset their systems.

Research reveals dietary nitrates from beetroot juice could improve certain adults’ vascular health.  (iStock)

Researchers practiced bacterial gene sequencing to identify which microbes were present in the participants’ mouths before and after each treatment.

Older adults who drank nitrate-rich beetroot juice had fewer mouth bacteria called Prevotella, which is linked to inflammation, and more helpful bacteria like Neisseria.

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“Foods that are high in dietary nitrates such as leafy greens, beets and lettuce can help lower blood pressure.”

Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel told Fox News Digital that nitrates lead to lower blood pressure by improving flexibility, decreasing resistance in blood vessels and lowering inflammation. 

The patients started the study with higher blood pressure, which went down after the beetroot juice — but blood pressure didn’t change with those in the placebo group.

“We know that foods that are high in dietary nitrates such as leafy greens, beets and lettuce can help lower blood pressure,” said Siegel.

Older adults who drank nitrate-rich beetroot juice had fewer mouth bacteria called Prevotella, which is linked to inflammation, and more helpful bacteria like Neisseria.

Older adults who drank nitrate-rich beetroot juice had fewer mouth bacteria called Prevotella, which is linked to inflammation, and more helpful bacteria like Neisseria. (Natasha Breen/REDA&CO/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

He added, “Nitrates are converted to nitric oxide by your body. Nitric oxide is a key molecule in vascular health as it promotes the vessels to dilate and thus reduces blood pressure.”

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Co-author Andy Jones, a professor at the University of Exeter, said in a press release that the study shows that “nitrate-rich foods alter the oral microbiome in a way that could result in less inflammation, as well as a lowering of blood pressure in older people.”

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Lee Beniston, an associate director of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, said the “research is a great example of how bioscience can help us better understand the complex links between diet, the microbiome and healthy aging.”

“By uncovering how dietary nitrate affects oral bacteria and blood pressure in older adults, the study opens up new opportunities for improving vascular health through nutrition,” Beniston added.

Group of seniors walking together outside and smiling.

“As we age, our levels of bioavailable nitric oxide lower, so it makes sense that we see more of a benefit in consuming dietary nitrates in older patients.”  (iStock)

Both researchers shared that more research is needed. 

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Siegel noted that “as we age, our levels of bioavailable nitric oxide lower, so it makes sense that we see more of a benefit in consuming dietary nitrates in older patients.” 

He said the study does support the well-established belief that a good diet, high in fresh fruits and vegetables, can help manage many chronic medical conditions.

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Anyone with high blood pressure or other medical conditions should check with doctors or medical experts before making dietary changes. The same applies to those taking medication.

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Cloud Coffee: The TikTok Drink That’s Boosting Weight Loss

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Cloud Coffee: The TikTok Drink That’s Boosting Weight Loss


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Experimental serum shows promise in reversing baldness within 20 days

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Experimental serum shows promise in reversing baldness within 20 days

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A cure for baldness could be on the horizon.

Researchers from Taiwan University say they have discovered a serum that could potentially regrow hair in just 20 days.

The study, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, showed that fat cells under the skin can restart hair growth.

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The researchers used mouse skin samples to monitor changes to the fat tissue under the skin, as well as to the hair follicles and the cells that help hair grow, after they caused small injuries to trigger certain reactions, according to a press release.

Researchers discovered that applying a fatty acid topical treatment to the skin promotes hair growth after skin injury. (iStock)

After skin injury, fat cells began breaking down stored fat in a process called lipolysis. Fatty acids were then released into the skin, which acted as a signal for hair stem cells to grow.

When the scientists stopped the fat cells from breaking down fat, it prevented hair from growing.

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Fatty acids were rubbed onto the mice’s skin to determine whether it would spark hair growth in these areas. The experiment was successful, triggering hair growth.

The same pattern was recognized in multiple experiments, although the research is still early and has yet to be tested on humans, the researchers noted.

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The researchers concluded that this therapy has “considerable potential for treating hair loss conditions in the future.” (iStock)

In one experiment, the scientists saw hair regrowth in mice within 20 days of applying the topical treatments once a day.

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These results were only identified after skin injury. The researchers noted that controlled skin inflammation, caused by chemical irritation or “deeper dermal injury,” has previously been shown to promote hair regrowth and is “clinically utilized in treating hair loss.”

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“However, the mechanisms by which dormant [stem cells] and their niche cells sense and respond to these injuries to initiate hair regeneration remain unclear,” the scientists noted in the study.

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The experiments showed that putting monounsaturated fatty acids on the skin could help hair grow, the researchers noted. As these fats naturally occur in the body and are already known to be safe, they could become a viable option for treating hair loss in the future, they added.

woman examining hair loss

A dermatologist noted that more research is needed on this method as a potential treatment option for androgenetic alopecia. (iStock)

In an interview with Fox News Digital, New York-based board-certified dermatologist Dr. Brendan Camp said he considers these findings “notable” amid “intense interest” in research on hair-loss treatments.

“But they are very preliminary, and because the experiments were not performed on human scalp skin, the results may not be applicable to people,” he said.

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“This study is small, and more research is needed on this method as a potential treatment option for androgenetic alopecia (pattern hair loss, the most common type in both men and women).”

Until this potential method is approved for clinical use in humans, Camp encourages those experiencing hair loss to focus on currently available and “well-studied” treatments, as well as scheduling an appointment with a board-certified dermatologist for evaluation.

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Fox News Digital reached out to the study researchers for comment.

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Sparkling Protein Water Is Selling Out at Costco, but Can It Aid Weight Loss?

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Sparkling Protein Water Is Selling Out at Costco, but Can It Aid Weight Loss?


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