I am creating a Food as Medicine Series to share functional and medicinal facts of different foods. Since I started to learn human physiology and study nutritional medicine, I have come to appreciate another aspect of foods other than simply providing energy and building blocks for our bodies.
Foods provide the macronutrients: proteins, carbohydrates, and fats which are used to produce energy and renew and build healthy tissue. But they also contain micronutrients: vitamins and minerals, and phytochemicals.
Vitamins and minerals are needed to produce hormones, activate enzymes, support detoxification, neutralize oxidation, to number a few of many biological functions which require these nutrients.
Phytochemicals have many beneficial effects by neutralizing free radicals, boost detoxification enzymes, immune modulation, and anti-inflammatory effects. I chose beetroot for the first ‘Food as medicine’ article.
Beetroot is a good source of folate, manganese, potassium and copper, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, vitamin C, vitamin B6 and dietary fibre. Beetroot is also a rich source of inorganic nitrate. This compound has demonstrated to be beneficial for prevention of coronary heart disease and ischemic stroke (Coles & Clifton 2012). Nitrate is a natural vasodilator and may help reduce blood pressure; and shown to improve exercise performance (Murphy et al. 2011). Beetroot also contains betaine which supports liver function and is an anti-inflammatory.
Beetroot however is a food high in oxalates. For those prone to forming kidney stones and need to follow an oxalate-restrict diet, raw beetroot is not advisable. Oxalates are organic acids naturally present in foods but some foods have higher concentrations than others. It can also be produced in the body from metabolism of some amino acids and vitamin C. Oxalates can interfere with absorption of minerals specially calcium and iron.
High oxalate containing foods are problematic for people with kidney disease and prone to forming kidney stones. Oxalates binds calcium and form crystals in the kidneys where they can lodge and form stones. For majority of people, oxalates do not pose problems specially as part of a balanced diet. Cooking foods does reduce the oxalate content, and a healthy gut flora also can metabolize and reduce the absorption of oxalates (Abratt & Reid 2010).
References: Abratt, V, & Reid, S 2010, ‘Oxalate-degrading bacteria of the human gut as probiotics in the management of kidney stone disease’, Advances in Applied Microbiology, vol. 72, pp. 63-87, < https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20602988 >
Coles L. and Clifton P. 2012. ‘Effects of beetroot juice on lowering blood pressure in free-living, disease-free adults: a randomised, placebo controlled trial’, Nutrition Journal, vol. 11, no. 106, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3545899/ >
Murphy, M, Eliot, K, Heuertz, R, & Weiss, E 2012, ‘Research: Whole Beetroot Consumption Acutely Improves Running Performance’, Journal of The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, vol. 112, pp. 548-552 < http://www.ScienceDirect.com >
