Drinking beetroot juice promotes the entrainment of bacteria in the mouth associated with healthier blood vessels and brain function. All this contributes to healthier aging, experts noted.

Beets and other foods, including lettuce, spinach and celery, are rich in inorganic nitrates, scientists say. Many oral bacteria play a role in converting nitrate to nitric oxide, which helps regulate blood vessels and neurotransmission - chemical messages in the brain. Older adults tend to have decreased nitric oxide production, which is associated with deterioration in vascular and cognitive function.

In a new study, 26 healthy seniors aged 70-80 took supplements twice daily for ten days. One group consumed nitrate-rich beet juice and the other a placebo without nitrates. After drinking beet juice, the systolic blood pressure of the participants from the first group dropped by an average of 5 points (mm Hg).