London, Jun 29 (IANS): The nitrate content of beetroot juice can lower blood pressure levels, says a study.

The researchers of Queen Mary University of London found that blood pressure (BP) was lowered within 24 hours in people who took nitrate tablets and people who drank beetroot juice.

The research is a welcome news for people with high BP as they can now use a 'natural' approach to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (including stroke and heart attacks) - the world's biggest killer.

Study author Amrita Ahluwalia, professor of Vascular Biology at Queen Mary's said: "The investigation was able to demonstrate that the nitrate found in beetroot juice had beneficial effects upon cardiovascular health by increasing the levels of the nitric-oxide in blood."

"We gave inorganic nitrate capsules or beetroot juice to healthy volunteers and compared their blood pressure responses and the biochemical changes occurring in the circulation," she added, according to a university release.

These findings were published online in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension.