Potential benefits of dietary nitrate ingestion in healthy and clinical populations: A brief review

Abstract

This article provides an overview of the current literature relating to the efficacy of dietary nitrate (NO) ingestion in altering aspects of cardiovascular and metabolic health and exercise capacity in healthy and diseased individuals. The consumption of NO-rich vegetables, such as spinach and beetroot, have been variously shown to promote nitric oxide bioavailability, reduce systemic blood pressure, enhance tissue blood flow, modulate muscle O utilisation and improve exercise tolerance both in normoxia and in hypoxia, as is commonly observed in a number of disease states. NO ingestion may, therefore, act as a natural means for augmenting performance and attenuating complications associated with limited O availability or transport, hypertension and the metabolic syndrome. Recent studies indicate that dietary NO might also augment intrinsic skeletal muscle contractility and improve the speed and power of muscle contraction. Moreover, several investigations suggest that NO supplementation may improve aspects of cognitive performance both at rest and during exercise. Collectively, these observations position NO as more than a putative ergogenic aid and suggest that increasing natural dietary NO intake may act as a prophylactic in countering the predations of senescence and certain cardiovascular-metabolic diseases.

Does Acute Beetroot Juice Supplementation Improve Neuromuscular Performance and Match Activity in Young Basketball Players? A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study

“…BJ is rich in NO 3 − , a precursor of nitric oxide (NO) through the nitrate-nitrate-NO pathway [13]. NO 3 − supplementation improves vasodilation and increases blood flow in muscle [14,15] that appears to benefit muscle force and power production in rodents [16] and healthy adults [17]. After consuming BJ, NO 3 − reduction elicits increases in plasma nitrite (NO 2 − ) which serves as a substrate for O 2 -independent NO synthesis and favours the reduction of NO from NO 2 -circulating in plasma under conditions of hypoxia and acidosis [18].…”

A Review of the Science of Colorful, Plant-Based Food and Practical Strategies for “Eating the Rainbow”

“…Short-term and even long-term (14 year) trials indicate inorganic nitrate and nitrate-rich vegetables may have vascular health benefits and lead to lowered CVD mortality [151][152][153]. e consumption of nitrate-rich vegetables, such as several of the leafy greens like spinach, has been shown to promote nitric oxide bioavailability, reduce systemic blood pressure, enhance tissue blood flow, modulate muscle oxygen utilization, and improve exercise tolerance, thereby potentially attenuating complications associated with limited oxygen availability or transport, hypertension, and the metabolic syndrome [154,155]. Some of the highest nitrate containing green foods include celery, cress, chervil, lettuce, spinach, and rocket [156].…”

A Narrative Review on the Potential of Red Beetroot as an Adjuvant Strategy to Counter Fatigue in Children with Cancer

“…In the latter population, several studies found no differences in exercise tolerance from beetroot juice ingestion in patients with CVD [71,72] or type 2 diabetes [73,74] or individuals with COPD [75][76][77]. The equivocal findings in studies to date are believed to be due to differences in the nitrate dose used, exercise mode, populations, and/or potential interference from concomitant medications [62]. Nevertheless, a meta-analysis of studies conducted in healthy populations suggested that dietary nitrate (beetroot juice or sodium/potassium nitrate) does have a small to moderate beneficial effect on exercise performance [78].…”

“…Far fewer studies have investigated whether beetroot supplementation can improve exercise tolerance and reduce fatigue in populations with various disease conditions (see [62] for a review). Of those that have, most studies of beetroot's effects on health have focused on persons with cardiovascular disease (CVD), who typically have a reduced aerobic capacity, exercise intolerance, and an early onset of fatigue during both physical activity and daily living tasks [63].…”

“…It is important to note that not all studies report favorable effects with beetroot juice, both in healthy populations and in those with various disease conditions [62]. In the latter population, several studies found no differences in exercise tolerance from beetroot juice ingestion in patients with CVD [71,72] or type 2 diabetes [73,74] or individuals with COPD [75][76][77].…”