(NaturalNews) The vegetable known as the beetroot in Great
Britain (and usually called the table beet, garden beet, red
beet or just plain beet in the U.S.) has been studied in recent
years for its health-building properties. For example,
scientists have found it is rich in the nutrient betaine, which
reduces the blood concentration of homocycsteine, a substance
linked to heart disease and stroke. Now a study just published
in the American Heart Association’s Hypertension journal
concludes drinking beet juice lowers high blood pressure quickly
and effectively — and could be a natural approach to helping
prevent cardiovascular problems. British scientists at the Queen
Mary University of London found that drinking beet juice lowered
blood pressure to healthy levels within 24 hours. In fact, it
was just as effective as prescription nitrate tables in treating
hypertension. In a previous study two years ago, the same
research team had first observed that drinking beetroot juice
lowered blood pressure — now they’ve