Beet Juice - Olympics and Blood Pressure reduction - Nitrates?!

 https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/288229

https://www.sciencealert.com/olympics-beetroot-really-can-boost-athletic-performance-and-this-is-why

The nitrates in beets are nothing at all the same as the "nitrates" in processed (or cooked at high heat) meat. The ones in beets relaxes blood vessels, by about 3.55 for systolic and 1.32 for diastolic. For ppl that consume 250mL of beet juice.. daily for weeks. But there were benefits for any amount consumed, they say. Buuuttt, good news:



How long it takes for beet juice to lower blood pressure can vary. However, a 2008 studyTrusted Source stated that beet juice lowers blood pressure in about 3 hours.

Research suggests that drinking beet juice daily for at least 60 daysTrusted Source provides the most benefits, helping significantly improve hypertension.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190311-what-are-nitrates-in-food-side-effects

“It’s not so much nitrates/nitrites per se [that are carcinogenic], but the way they are cooked and their local environment that is an important factor,” says Kate Allen, executive director of science and public affairs at the World Cancer Research Fund. “For example, nitrites in processed meats are in close proximity to proteins (specifically amino acids). When cooked at high temperatures this allows them to more easily form nitrosamines, the cancer-causing compound.”



But Allen adds that nitrites are just one reason processed meats contribute to bowel cancer, and their relative importance is uncertain. Other factors that may contribute include iron; PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) which are formed in smoked meats; and HCAs (heterocyclic amines), which are created when meat is cooked over an open flame – and which also are tumour-promoting.


It’s also important to keep the dangers of processed meat in context. While the International Agency for Research on Cancer categorises processed meat a carcinogen, the risk is quite small.


In the UK, for example, six out of 100 people will get bowel cancer in their lives. Of those who eat 50 grams processed meat (about three rashers of bacon) daily, the chance is seven out of 100.