SYDNEY, May 4 (Xinhua) -- An Australian research found that people can significantly reduce risk for heart disease by eating one cup of nitrate-rich vegetables each day.

The research, revealed on Tuesday, was conducted by Edith Cowan University, the University of Western Australia and the Danish Cancer Society, and the findings were published in European Journal of Epidemiology.

Based on data from over 50,000 people residing in Denmark over a 23-year period, researchers found that people who consumed the most nitrate-rich vegetables has 2.5 mmHg lower systolic blood pressure and 12 percent to 26 percent lower risk for heart disease than normal people.

Lead researcher Dr Catherine Bondonno from Edith Cowan University said that consuming 60 mg vegetable nitrate (1 cup of green leafy vegetables) every day can significantly lower the risk for getting cardiovascular disease, but intaking more than that did not seem to give any additional benefits.

"People don't need to be taking supplements to boost their nitrate levels because the study showed that one cup of leafy green vegetables each day is enough to reap the benefits for heart disease," Bondonno said.

Bondonno also said that although this approach works for heart attack, stroke and heart failure, it is best for peripheral artery disease, a type of heart disease characterized by the narrowing of blood vessels of the legs, with 26 percent lower risk.

Blending a cup of leafy green vegetables to make smoothies is also an easy way to top up our daily leafy greens, according to Bondonno.

"Blending leafy greens is fine, but don't juice them. Juicing vegetables removes the pulp and fibre," Bondonno said. Enditem

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