Spinach increases muscular strength, proven by science
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
Nitrate, contained in spinach and other vegetables, increases muscle strength. Scientists from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm (Sweden) identified two proteins, the production of which is stimulated by the intake of this nitrate.
The experiments were carried out in mice. Rodents were divided into two groups, one of which was control, and the second seven days received drinking water with the addition of nitrate. The amount of nitrate consumed by mice was equivalent to what a person receives when consuming 200-300 grams of fresh spinach or two or three beets of beets a day.
Spinach and beets are the main sources of nitrate, but it is found in other leafy vegetables, such as lettuce and chard.
Within a week, specialists studied various muscles on the limbs of mice. It turned out that the animals from the "nitrate" group had stronger muscles: spinach worked best on the long extensor of the fingers (the muscle that unbends the shank) and the short flexor of the fingers (the muscle of the plantar part of the foot). Further examination showed that in muscles in mice drinking nitrate water, the concentration of CASQ1 and DHPR - proteins, which participate in calcium homeostasis, the critical decisive factor of muscle contraction - was increased.
The authors of the work are preparing to continue the research to find out whether it is possible to apply the effect discovered by them to people with muscle weakness.
[