Spinach can Strengthen Muscles

The efficacy of spinach to strengthen muscles is not just a story in ‘Popeye the Sailor Man’, in fact it has now been scientifically proven.

Recent research conducted by experts from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden found that spinach contains certain compounds that are able to strengthen muscles. The compounds are not iron (which was suspected), but nitrate.

For muscle cells, nitrate is able to stimulate mitochondrial to be able to work more efficiently. The mitochondria cells in the muscle are then able to produce energy in larger amounts, although with less amount of oxygen.

Improvement of the ability of mitochondria to produce energy efficiently can be felt within only 3 days. With regular nitrate consumption of 300 grams/day, the muscles need for oxygen decreases significantly, which is between 3-5%. “The function of nitrate is similar to fuel additive or octan booster on vehicle engines. The compound is able to make the muscles work more smooth and efficient,” said Dr. Eddie Weitzberg, who led the study, according to the Telegraph.

Benefits of spinach for muscle is popular in the cartoon character “Popeye the Sailor”‘ since the 1930s. The film, which was initially lifted from a comic story, is part of a campaign to eat vegetables in the United States at the time and claimed to successfully increase vegetable consumption among children by 33%.

Initially, many suspect that the benefits of spinach are located on the iron content. Because of a study in 1870, where Dr E von Wolf misplaced commas, so people think that spinach contains iron in the amount of 10 times more than the actual amount.