Soundbite: 3.5 Beetroot reduce blood pressure!

The question: How many beetroot do you need to eat to reduce your blood pressure?

The research: Research on the impact of beetroot juice on blood pressure and endurance is ongoing in the UK and elsewhere. But most (all?) beetroot juice commercially available in the Uk comes from Germany. Our British beetroot grower wanted to know how their product compared. MacTavish:West sourced analysis of the nitrate content of commercial beetroot and beetroot juice. A review of previous research on the variability of nitrate content in beetroot enabled benchmarking.

The Answer: After some clever calculations and comparisons: we now know that 3 and a half or 230g of beetroot (raw, cooked, pickled...whatever!) has the same nitrate 'dose' as 500ml of commercially available beetroot juice, naturally. So you can drink a pint of beetroot juice OR you can munch on 3.5 tasty beetroot, and get your blood pressure down 10 points, and improve your sports endurance.