Popeye was, and is, the most famed buff cartoon of all time- he is also one of the most parodied of all cartoons. We all, especially us of older generations, remember the theme song like it’s our own birthdate- but more likely what comes to mind when you think about Popeye is how he would pop open a can of spinach, down it, and then turn into some sort of super strong, hulk like super hero. Come to find out, ole’ Popeye may have been on to something as a new study reveals the link between vegetables and toned muscles.
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A Swedish study shows why spinach makes us stronger.
Cartoon character Popeye is right to down a can of spinach when he wants his biceps to bulge, according to a Swedish study showing why the leafy vegetable makes us stronger.
Researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm said today they had conducted a study showing how nitrate, found naturally in spinach and several other vegetables, tones up muscles.
For the study, to be published in the Journal of Physiology, the research team placed nitrate directly in the drinking water of a group of mice for one week and then dissected them and compared their muscle functions to that of a control group.
“The mice that had been on consistent nitrate had much stronger muscles,” they said in a statement.
The nitrate used “was equivalent to a human’s consumption of about 200 to 250 grams of spinach a day, so it’s a very easily obtained amount”, one of the researchers at the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Andres Hernandez, told AFP.
While no effect could be seen in the so-called slow-twitch muscles used for moderate exercise and endurance, the scientists saw a clear change in the fast-twitch muscles used for strength and more high-intensity exercises, Hernandez said.
The tricky question was determining why this happened.
The researchers discovered that the nitrates had prompted an increase in two proteins, found naturally in the muscles that are used for storing and releasing calcium, which is vital to making muscles contract.
The protein increase in turn led to higher quantities of calcium released in the muscles, Hernandez said, noting: “If you have more calcium released, you have a stronger contraction.”
In human terms, consuming nitrates from, for instance, spinach increases the muscle strength available for things like lifting weights or sprinting up a steep hill.
It could also increase endurance, Hernandez said, pointing out that when stronger, the fast-twitch muscles, which fatigue faster than other muscles, do not need to contract as frequently.
While we don’t recommend living in a trash can and eating worms (but spitting out all of the germs!), living like Popeye may actually be good for your muscles. When famed buff cartoon character, Popeye, threw back a can of spinach to bulk up before a big battle, he knew what he was doing! A new study out of Sweden backs up the fact that leafy green vegetables will actually make us stronger.
According to a group of researchers at Stockholm’s Karolinska Institute, the element nitrate which is found in spinach and other leafy greens increases muscle tone. As a part of their research, the team added nitrate into drinking water and gave it to a group of mice for one week (which may also explain the cartoon character Mighty Mouse) and then analyzed the results. When given the nitrate, the mice developed stronger muscles.
The effect was seen mainly in the fast-twitch muscles- or the ones used for strength and high intensity exercising. No effect was seen in the slow-twitch muscles groups though- the ones used for moderate exercise and endurance. So, you may not be able to run marathons, or participate in other endurance competitions, but maybe you’d do better in a strong man competition after eating a generous amount of spinach.
Nitrate consumption prompts a released of high concentrates of calcium and protein into the muscles. This makes muscle contraction more effective and maybe a little easier.
What was given to the mice would translate to human consumption of 200 to 250 grams of leafy green vegetables daily.
Are you ready to follow Popeye’s lead and load up on spinach before training?
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