Biomed Radio - Washington University School Of Medicine In St. Louis

Building on a growing body of work that suggests dietary nitrate improves muscle performance in elite athletes, a team of researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has found that concentrated beet juice, which is high in nitrates, increases muscle power in patients who have heart failure. Because many of the activities of daily living are power-based — getting out of a chair, lifting groceries, climbing stairs — improving muscle power is important to quality of life for heart-failure patients. MUSCLE WEAKNESS IS ONE OF THE MAIN THINGS THAT CAUSES DISABILITY IN HEART FAILURE PATIENTS, BUT NEW RESEARCH AT WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE IN ST. LOUIS HAS FOUND THAT BEETS MAY PLAY A ROLE IN REVERSING THAT PROBLEM AND MAKING MUSCLES MORE POWERFUL. THE RESEARCH TEAM REPORTS THAT AFTER TREATMENT WITH CONCENTRATED BEET JUICE, HEART FAILURE PATIENTS GOT STRONGER AND MORE ABLE TO CARRY ON THE TASKS OF DAILY LIFE. JIM DRYDEN REPORTS… SOME ELITE ATHLETES ARE INCREASING THE NITRATE L