Can this food help ‘beet’ COPD?

Adding nitrate to the diet in the form of daily glasses of beetroot juice has multiple beneficial effects on patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In fact, daily consumption of this red juice was found to lower the blood pressure of patients, improve vessel elasticity, and improved and six-minute walk tests. Findings appeared in a study by researchers in the U.K. in the European Respiratory Journal.COPD is known to be associated with significant extrapulmonary pathology, especially cardiovascular disease. Short term studies have suggested “that dietary nitrate supplementation may improve cardiovascular risk profile, lowering blood pressure (BP) and enhancing endothelial function,” according to the paper.Nitric oxide plays a key role as a vasodilator and modulates vascular tone, BP, and hemodynamics and also affects the efficiency of oxygen use in exercise. The use of nitrate (NO3) rich beet juice as a dietary supplement has been gaining attention in cardiovascular research realm.Leafy green foods such as spinach and arugula are also high in NO3.“There has also been interest in the effect of (beetroot juice) in people with COPD, because of potential benefits on exercise capacity,” and other possible related benefits,” the study said. In North America beetroot juice is commonly called beet juice.A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel group study was conducted in COPD patients, with 81 participants recruited. They all had stable disease and had BP measurements of 130 mmHg or higher. People using more than three antihypertensive medications or nitrate-based medications or supplements were excluded.Half were randomized to drink 70 mL of beetroot juice that had naturally high NO3 levels (about 400mg) once daily at 9 a.m. for 12 weeks. The other half received an identical placebo beverage that had no NO3 to drink. Participants recorded two BP measurements at home, three times daily over four days at baseline and then again during the last week of the study period. They also filled out log sheets regarding their adherence to drinking the juice. Nothing else in their diets or activities changed.Arterial stiffness and endothelial function were assessed using finger plethysmography peripheral arterial tonometry, and blood samples were analyzed for NO3 levels and platelet reactivity.After 12 weeks, drinking beet juice was associated with a statistically significant drop in systolic BP compared to placebo with a difference of -4.5mmHg, and in mean arterial pressure of -1.67mmHg. There was no statistically significant difference in diastolic BP.When it came to the six-minute walking test, the beet juice group had a significant improvement over those who drank placebo with an average increase of 30 metres. Plasma nitric oxide and fractional exhaled nitric oxide data were available for 24 patients in the intervention group and 20 in the placebo group. Here, plasma nitric oxide increased in the treatment group from baseline, but not the placebo group. The increase in fractional exhaled nitric oxide was significantly greater from baseline in the treatment group compared with the placebo group.The study noted that “Although there was an improvement in exercise capacity this did not translate into a statistically significant improvement in symptoms.”The researchers concluded that “dietary nitrate supplementation, in the form of beetroot juice, produces a sustained fall in systolic blood pressure in people with COPD which is accompanied by improvements in exercise capacity and markers of endothelial function.”According to Dr. Kenneth Chapman, a respirologist and professor of medicine at the University of Toronto, “For patients, including beets and leafy green vegetables in the diet is a sensible recommendation and will do no harm.” He was not involved in the study but told the Medical Post that the findings are consistent with previous studies. “I'm a fan of beets and to put this result into context, it sounds similar to the long-standing recommendation that we include leafy green vegetable, which are high in nitrates, and vegetables like beets in our diets for a variety of health reasons,” he said.Although the study recruited a small number of subjects, “there were few dropouts and the relevant endpoints moved in the correct direction to support the researchers' hypothesis,” he said.

Can this food help ‘beet’ COPD?

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