London - Mother was right – eating your greens really does make you healthy.
Leafy vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage and kale all contain the chemical nitrate, which improves heart health and helps combat diabetes, say British researchers.
The findings suggest patients with cardiovascular diseases can improve their quality of life simply by eating more greens.
The study, published in the Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, found eating more nitrate-rich vegetables can thin the blood, ensuring oxygen is delivered efficiently around the body and so cutting the risk of stroke and heart attacks.
Nitrate does this by reducing erythropoietin. This is a hormone that determines production of red blood cells, which increase oxygen levels and the thickness of blood.
The research, from the Universities of Cambridge and Southampton, was part-funded by the British Heart Foundation.
Another study, published in the Journal of Physiology, showed that eating more greens can protect vital proteins in heart cells, as well increasing a compound that causes the blood vessels to widen, helping the heart to pump more efficiently.
And a third study, published in Diabetes, found nitrate converts bad white fat cells into good brown, fat-burning cells, reducing the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Researcher Dr Tom Ashmore said: “The best thing about nitrate is that it is not expensive, treatment is not invasive and not much is needed to observe a significant effect. The only downfall is some people don’t like vegetables.” - Daily Mail