A serving of green leafy vegetables a day can help your muscles become stronger! Australian research

In the cartoon "Popeye", Popeye becomes very strong and powerful every time he eats spinach.

A recent study that followed 3,759 Australian residents for 12 years showed that eating a serving of green leafy vegetables (about the size of an adult's fist) every day would make your muscles stronger.

A study showed that people who regularly consumed a diet rich in nitrates, mainly from green leafy vegetables such as spinach, had an 11% increase in lower limb strength and a 4% faster walking speed than those with a low nitrate diet.

Muscle function is essential for overall health, especially bone health, and decreased muscle strength increases the risk of cardiometabolic disease and mortality.

As for walking speed, some people think that it should be a person's vital sign like blood pressure, body temperature, heart rate, etc., and some people think it is a sign of knee osteoporosis.

The study showed that green leafy vegetables increased muscle strength regardless of whether or not they were physically active. However, the researchers stressed that, in order to optimize muscle function, a balanced diet rich in green leafy vegetables combined with regular exercise is ideal.

In addition, the researchers also emphasized that green leafy vegetables also provide essential vitamins and minerals, so eat more vegetables instead of dietary supplements.

Some people may wonder, does eating meat make you stronger?

A study conducted by Niu Kaijun and others from Tianjin Medical University answered this question, showing that the more sweets or animal products you eat, the higher the risk of having low strength. However, a healthy diet characterized by a large intake of vegetables, fruits, and soy products still makes people more energetic.

China's Guidelines for a Healthy Lifestyle to Prevent Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases recommend that the average adult consume 300-500 g of fresh vegetables per day (dark vegetables should account for half), and 200-350 g of fresh fruit per day. Juice cannot replace fresh fruit.

source:

[1]Sim M, Blekkenhorst LC, Bondonno NP, et al. Dietary Nitrate Intake Is Positively Associated with Muscle Function in Men and Women Independent of Physical Activity Levels. J Nutr. 2021 Mar 24:nxaa415.

[2]Zhang X, Gu Y, Cheng J, et al. The relationship between dietary patterns and grip strength in the general population: the TCLSIH cohort study. Eur J Nutr, 2020 Nov 1. doi: 10.1007/s00394-020-02385-z.

[3] Chinese Preventive Medicine Association, Chinese Preventive Medicine Association Heart Disease Prevention and Control Professional Committee, etc. Chinese Guidelines for Healthy Lifestyle to Prevent Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases. Chinese Journal of Circulation, 2020, 35: 209-230. DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1000-3614.2020.03.001 [Scan the QR code to view the full text]

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