New figures show that, for some people, eating beetroot could be a life or death decision!
The findings of a recent study, conducted by The British Heart Foundation, reveal that residents of Manchester are more likely to die from coronary heart disease than people who live elsewhere in the country.
For residents of the Chelsea and Kensington areas of London things are very different. They should feel their hearts beating with pride because they have the healthiest hearts in the nation. And with a death rate, from heart disease, of only 39 people out of 100,000; there is a significant difference between the London borough and the Tameside area of Manchester where there are a heart-stopping 132 deaths, caused by heart disease, per 100,000 people.
"These latest figures expose staggering inequalities in deaths from heart disease across the UK," states Professor Peter Weissberg (BHF medical director), "But it’s unacceptable that people continue to die from heart attacks, regardless of their postcode."
It is not all doom and gloom over at BHF headquarters though, because a report on their website reveals some interesting results from another study, recently published in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension. The study shows that eating more beetroot can significantly lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart attacks or strokes.
The miraculous power of the beetroot is apparently due its high nitrate content. Nitrates occur naturally in the soil and vegetables such as beetroot, lettuce, fennel and cabbage, suck it up through their roots and then pass on the benefits when eaten. Tamworth residents can take heart in the news that just two beetroots a day can make all the difference.
