2023-06-09 15:16:56
Yet another clinical study that shows the beneficial cardiovascular effects of beetroot juice on the human body thanks to the nitrates it contains. But this time, the trial presented in Manchester on June 7, 2023 at the British Cardiovascular Society conference goes even further than the previous ones since it concerns patients suffering from angina pectoris in whom a stent has been implanted ( A stent is used to expand a dangerously narrowed vessel).
It was conducted double-blind once morest placebo by researchers at St Bartholomew’s Hospital and Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) and funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIH).
Patients drank beetroot juice every day following surgery for 6 months. The researchers found that 16% of patients had a serious cardiac or circulatory event such as a heart attack or the need for another intervention within two years of the installation. But this proportion fell to only 7.35% among those who did not have the placebo and who therefore drank the juice in question daily.
Every year in the UK, thousands of patients with coronary heart disease have a stent implanted to widen one of the blood vessels in their heart and relieve their angina, in a procedure known as percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).
Recurrence is common following stent placement
About 10% of patients then experience restenosis, that is, the stented blood vessel narrows once more and symptoms of heart disease return within five years of PCI. By advising patients to drink beet juice, doctors might soon reduce the risk of stent failure in this way.
“When the width of the patients’ blood vessels was measured six months following stent placement, the vessels of those who drank beetroot juice showed regarding half as much narrowing during this time as those who had received the placebo treatment ” underlines a press release from the British Heart Foundation (British Heart Foundation).
By stopping restenosis, beet juice might save patients from having to undergo another potentially unsuccessful PCI procedure or a much more invasive coronary artery bypass graft.
Dr Krishnaraj Rathod, Clinical Lecturer at the William Harvey Research Institute (Queen Mary University London), who led the trial, said:
“Laboratory experiments have suggested that inorganic nitrate, which is found naturally in beetroot juice, has these effects, and it is very encouraging to see it create such great clinical improvement for patients with angina pectoris. Our patients have appreciated that their treatment is an all-natural product that has no significant side effects.
We will now move on to the next stage of trials, in the hope that doctors will soon be able to prescribe beetroot juice to ensure the stents last longer to provide even more effective symptom relief. »
For Professor James Leiper, Associate Medical Director at BHF: “Stenting is one of the most crucial tools we have in the fight once morest coronary heart disease, but there is still work to be done to ensure that every patient sees long-term benefit from the procedure.
Toward prescribed treatment following stent placement
Every year, thousands of patients have to experience the stress of a medical procedure on their heart more than once before it is successful. This small study offers hope that it can be prevented. The trial now needs to be extended to confirm the initial observation that beet juice can make a difference. »
Researchers were able to show that beetroot juice helps patients thanks to its naturally high inorganic nitrate content. Patients in the trial who drank beet juice without inorganic nitrate (removed by passage through an ion exchange resin) did not obtain the same beneficial effects.
Inorganic nitrate is a nutrient that is converted into nitrite by naturally occurring bacteria in the mouth, which is then transformed into a signaling molecule, nitric oxide (NO), by enzymes in the body. The researchers believe that NO is the cause of the positive effects on the patients’ blood vessels.
Beet juice was found to be a safe and reliable way to introduce inorganic nitrate into the body, with no significant side effects experienced by any of the 300 patients in the trial other than pink urine.
The team is now looking to start a larger trial soon as the trial only involved 300 patients. They hope that if successful, beet juice can be prescribed as a treatment to take following stent implantation. This might then extend beyond patients with angina to those who had a stent inserted for a different reason, such as following a heart attack.
Philippe Pavard, according to the press release from the British Heart Foundation
1686325925
#drinking #beet #juice #reduces #risk #heart #attack
