Researchers at Wake Forest University’s Translational Science Center have found that beet juice can improve blood flow to the brain in older adults.

When high-nitrate foods are consumed, bacteria in a person’s mouth turn nitrates into nitrites. Nitrites then help blood vessels open up, which blood flow. Blood flow to the brain is important for older adults since research shows that perfusion to certain areas of the brain is linked to problems such as cognition and dementia.
MRI’s of 14 older adults who consumed a high-nitrate diet for four days showed that blood flow to the white matter of the frontal lobes increased in these patients. This area of the brain is linked to the kind of degeneration associated with dementia and cognitive problems, Medical News Today reported.