It seems Popeye, the fictional American cartoon character, was onto something in eating spinach to gain muscle function and strength.
Published in the Journal of Nutrition, new research from Edith Cowan University (ECU) reveals that eating just one cup of leafy green vegetables every day could boost muscle function.
The study found that people who consumed a nitrate-rich diet, predominantly from vegetables, had significantly better muscle function of their lower limb.
Data from 3,759 Australians who took part in Melbourne’s Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute AusDiab study over a 12-year period was examined, with researchers finding that those with the highest regular nitrate consumption having 11% stronger lower limb strength than those with the lowest nitrate intake.
Additionally, those with higher nitrate intake also had up to 4% faster walking speeds.
According to lead researcher, Dr Marc Sim from ECU’s Institute for Nutrition Research, these findings add weight to the important role that diet plays in overall health.
“Our study has shown that diets high in nitrate-rich vegetables may bolster your muscle strength independently of any physical activity,” says Dr Sim.
“Nevertheless, to optimise muscle function we propose a balanced diet rich in green leafy vegetables in combination with regular exercise, including weight training.”
With poor muscle function linked to a greater risk of falls and fractures, optimising muscle function is vital for maintaining good overall health.
Good muscle function is also important for bone strength later in life.
“With around one in three Australians aged over 65 suffering a fall each year, it’s important to find ways of preventing these events and their potentially serious consequences,” adds Dr Sim.
Go green
While they may not be everyone’s favourite vegetables, nitrate-rich vegetables such as lettuce, spinach (looking at you, Popeye!), kale and even beetroot provide the greatest health benefits, according to this latest research study.
“Less than one in 10 Australians eat the recommended five to six serves of vegetables per day.
“We should be eating a variety of vegetables every day, with at least one of those serves being leafy greens to gain a range of positive health benefits for the musculoskeletal and cardiovascular system.
“It’s also better to eat nitrate-rich vegetables as part of a healthy diet rather than taking supplements. Green leafy vegetables provide a whole range of essential vitamins and minerals critical for health,” says Dr Sim.
The study, a collaboration with Deakin University’s Institute of Physical Activity and Nutrition and the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, builds on Dr Sim’s previous research into nitrate and muscle function in older women.
It also adds to growing evidence linking vegetables with cardiovascular health, including a recent ECU study into cruciferous vegetables and blood vessel health.
To read the study, visit: academic.oup.com/jn/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/jn/nxaa415/6184158?redirectedFrom=fulltext
