When first lady Michelle Obama told "Ladies' Home Journal" that she and President Barack Obama didn't have the "beet gene," she was voicing a sentiment shared by millions. If you don't love the vegetable's aggressive redness and down-to-earth flavor, you probably hate it. However, beets have several health benefits.
Uses Past and Present
The ancient Romans used the leaves of wild varieties of members of the Beta vulgaris family as pot herbs, but in Europe, recorded use of the red beetroot as a vegetable began in the 14th century. In 1806, only one kind of beet was listed in agricultural catalogs in the United States, but by 1828, the tally had increased to four. Throughout the world, most beets cultivated and eaten today are descended from hybridized varieties developed by the beet lab at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, to boost nutrient content.
Nutritional Values
Betalain, which gives beets their redness, is rich in antioxidants, substances that protect cells against the destructive effects of the free radicals believed to play a role in heart disease, cancer and other adverse health conditions. According to the Earth Ethics Institute of Miami Dade College, beets are high in folic acid, vitamins A, B-1, B-2 and C, and essential minerals including iron, calcium and potassium. Beet greens and their relative, Swiss chard, are even more nutritious than beetroot. Juice made from beets, carrots and cucumbers is said to have a cleansing and detoxifying effect on the kidneys and gall bladder.
Scientific Studies Show Surprising Results
Two British studies involving beets reported such surprising and dramatic results that they generated headlines in popular media. A study into the effects of beet juice on blood pressure published in February 2008 in "Hypertension" noted a substantial drop in the blood pressure of participants an hour after drinking 500 ml of beet juice. Three to four hours later, blood pressure had dropped further and continued to drop over 24 hours. Another study led by the University of Exeter found that people who drank beet juice had the stamina to exercise 16 percent longer than people who didn't. Lead author Andy Jones, a professor at the university's school of sport and health sciences, said that his team had been "amazed" at the effect of beet juice on oxygen uptake "because these effects cannot be achieved by any other known means, including training." The study was published in August 2009 in the "Journal of Applied Physiology."
After-effects
One harmless but potentially alarming consequence of eating beets is that the red "ink" is so resilient that it can tint urine and stools the color of blood. People who have recently eaten beets and have no medical conditions that might cause internal bleeding need not worry, but the Mayo Clinic advises anyone who notices real blood or any other unexpected change in the color of their urine or stools to consult a doctor immediately.
References
- Earth Ethics Institute Miami Dade College: Foods -- Alphabetical Listing
- University of Wisconsin News: Professor Upbeat About Unappreciated Root Crop; Michael Penn, Dec. 10, 2002
- Medline Plus: Urine -- Abnormal Color
- Mayo Clinic: Stool Color: When to Worry
- Food Reference: Beets
- Texas A & M University: First Beets Yielded Only Greens
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