Researchers at the Karolinska Institute have solved the riddle of why spinach and some other vegetables have a powerful effect on muscles.

According to Karolinska, a team of scientists at the institute have identified two relevant proteins which are stimulated by the intake of nitrate.

“The study found that mice supplied with nitrate in their drinking water developed significantly stronger muscles – and this at doses obtainable from a normal diet,” Karolinska says in a news release.

Mice were divided into two groups, one of which was given nitrate in drinking water for seven days, and the other which was not. The amount of nitrate that the mice received was roughly equivalent to that a person would get by eating 200 to 300 grams of fresh spinach or two to three beetroots per day.

A week later, muscles in the legs and feet of the mice were examined.

“The mice that had been on consistent nitrate had much stronger muscles,” Karolinska says.

The team then discovered that the nitrate mice had a higher concentration of two different proteins in their muscles, CASQ1 and DHPR.

“From a nutritional perspective our study is interesting because the amount of nitrate that affected muscle strength in mice was relatively low,” says Dr Andrés Hernández, researcher at the Karolinska Department of Physiology and Pharmacology.

“Translated to humans it means that we can obtain the equivalent volume by eating more of a vegetarian diet, as nitrate is found naturally in several leafy vegetables, especially in beetroot juice, for example. There are currently no dietary supplements containing nitrate,” he adds.

The teams now hope to continue its study to discover if the method can be applied to those who have muscle weakness.

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