Whenever Olive Oyl was troubled or kidnapped by Bluto, Popeye would dig into his can of spinach with his charismatic style and eat with gusto. This would give him immense power and energy to beat the meaty Bluto and protect the love of his life. Sounds like it is only possible in the world of cartoons? Certainly not! A recent research has concluded that leafy vegetables like spinach can boost your muscle power.
It was previously believed that the amount of iron present in spinach is what made it a muscle building food. However, a recent study conducted by Dr. Andres Hernandez at Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden has found that the amount of inorganic nitrate present in it is certainly responsible for boosting the muscles. This shows that it is very important to include in your daily diet.
The research was carried out on a group of mice that were made to drink water mixed with nitrate solution. Green leafy vegetables like spinach, beetroot, lettuce and chard are the best sources of nitrates. The quantity of nitrates that was given to mice was equivalent to the amount a person would normally consume on daily basis.
The experiment was conducted for a period of one week. During the week, the team carefully examined the strength of the muscles of the mice that were fed with nitrate solution. Throughout the week, it was observed that the muscle strength of those mice kept on increasing. Increased muscle development was seen in the area that extends under the tibia and muscle of the foot.
After the experiment was done, the muscles of the mice that were given nitrate solution were compared with a control group which was given controlled diet. The mice that were fed were dissected and upon observing their muscles it was found that there was significant increase in the development of muscles. The muscles of the mice that were fed were stronger than the muscles of the control group. The study also showed that their muscle contained higher amounts of two of the proteins that are responsible for homeostasis of calcium.
Through the experiment, Hernanadez and his team want to help weak people to build muscles in a healthy way by including spinach, beetroot and other nitrate rich leafy vegetables in their diet. Some of the well-known and sexiest people in the world such as Woody Harrelson, Mike Tyson, Tobey Maguire, Alyssa Milano, Anne Hathway, Natalie Portnman, Pamela Anderson and Venus Williams are all vegetarians. So, why not include more of leafy vegetables in your diet to not only to build muscles but also to appear sexy.
