Eating leafy green vegetables may help maintain muscle strength and mobility

Popeye was on to something. Eating just one cup of leafy green vegetables like spinach each day may help maintain muscle strength and mobility into old age.

Eating leafy green vegetables like spinach could help maintain muscle strength into old age.

Researchers from Edith Cowan University tracked the diets of 1420 West Australian women aged over 70 and found that those who ate more nitrate-rich vegetables like spinach, rocket and lettuce had significantly better muscle strength and physical function.

Measuring muscles

Muscle strength was assessed by measuring participant’s grip strength. Physical function was quantified using the timed-up-and-go (TUG) test, which measures how long it takes to rise from a chair, walk three meters then return to the chair to sit down.

Lead researcher Dr Marc Sim from ECU’s School of Medical and Health Sciences said a decline in muscle strength and physical function are associated with greater risk of disability and even premature death.

He says previous research in older populations has shown that a 1 kg decline over 12 months in grip strength is associated with a 33 per cent increased mortality risk. Every one second slower TUG time increases mortality risk by eight per cent over three years.

“Poor strength and function are also associated with other adverse outcomes such as falls and fractures, which substantially compromise an individual’s independence,” he said.

“In our study we found that eating one cup of spinach, rocket or lettuce a day may increase grip strength by up to 2 kg and improve TUG time by up to 1.6 seconds.”

Nitrate and blood flow

Dr Sim said while it was unclear exactly how nitrate positively influences muscle function, one possible mechanism could be improved vascular function and blood flow.

“We know from previous research that nitric oxide is a vasodilator, which means that it widens your blood vessels, potentially allowing greater blood flow to your muscles. In fact, nitrate supplements are used by athletes to improve endurance and performance.

“It could be that higher daily nitrate intake consistently increases muscle blood flow, thereby facilitating musculoskeletal health,” he said.

The study follows on from previous ECU research that found a link between eating nitrate-rich vegetables and a lower risk of death from stroke and heart disease.

Where to next?

Dr Sim said the next step would be to conduct an intervention study to test precisely how nitrate-rich vegetable consumption influences muscle function.

Confirmation of the health benefits of dietary nitrate would be used to inform future dietary recommendations.