How to age well: eat your greens to strengthen your limbs and stay mobile, scientists say
- Poor muscle function is linked to greater risk of falls and fractures as we age. Eating leafy green vegetables daily improves muscle function, research shows
- People who consumed a nitrate-rich diet, predominantly from vegetables, had significantly better muscle function in their legs and walked faster, a study found
Eating one cup of leafy green vegetables every day could boost muscle function, according to new research.
Greens including bak choi, cabbage and lettuce contain high levels of nitrates, which researchers believe may improve vascular function and blood flow.
The latest study by Edith Cowan University Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute (AusDiab) in Alice Springs, Australia, found those who ate the most nitrates had limbs 11 per cent stronger than those who ate the least.
Scientists examined the diets of 3,759 Australians over a 12-year period and this month published the results in the Journal of Nutrition. Previous research suggested dietary nitrates could boost the amount of nitric oxide in the body – a chemical that plays a key role in regulating blood flow and the ability of muscles to contract.
Building on this, AusDiab researchers found people who consumed a nitrate-rich diet, predominantly from vegetables, had significantly better muscle function in their legs and up to 4 per cent faster walking speeds.