Beet juice might be the secret to staying young

By Sean Dowling, Buzz60

No matter how old you are, working out can make you feel like you've still got it, but drinking beetroot juice before exercising can make older brains seem even "younger."

This is according to a new study out of Wake Forest University.

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Researchers found that older people who drank beetroot juice before working out had brains that mirrored how a younger brain works, with more oxygen and blood flow.

Even more, areas of the brain tied to cognitive function, emotion and movement seemed healthier, according to the Daily Mail.

That's because beetroot juice is packed with nitrate -- and when you drink it, the nitrate changes to nitrite and then nitric oxide. This increases blood flow in the body, and a bunch of studies have shown that nitric oxide can improve exercise performance no matter your age.

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26 people aged 55 and older were studied. None of them exercised regularly and everyone had high blood pressure. Three times a week for six weeks, half drank beetroot juice while the other half downed the placebo version and they all went on a moderately intense 50-minute walk on the treadmill.

The beetroot drinkers had much higher levels of nitrate and nitrite than the other group, so they had even more oxygen going to their brains, which strengthened the area of the brain tied to motor activity.

The research is important because it could help people who are at risk for brain deterioration stay functionally independent.

They need to do more studies to see if they get the same anti-aging results. Researchers say we really are what we eat, and it matters down the road when it comes to brain health.

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