A new study showed that after having beetroot juice there was an increase in blood flow to white matter in the frontal lobes of the brains. These are the areas of the brain associated with dementia and loss of other mental functions. The reason beetroot juice has this effect is its high nitrate content. In your mouth, good bacteria convert nitrate to nitrite and nitrites help open up blood vessels in your body.
Source: Nitric Oxide: Biology and Biochemistry
