Abstract:Dementia is a significant public health priority with approximately 55 million cases worldwide, and this number is predicted to quadruple by 2050. Adherence to a healthy diet and achieving optimal nutritional status are vital strategies to improve brain health. The importance of this area of research has been consolidated into the new term ‘nutritional psychiatry’. Dietary nitrate, closely associated with the intake of fruits and vegetables, is a compound that is increased in dietary patterns such as the Medit… Show more
“…However, with emerging evidence, a new perspective has begun to emerge which suggests that increased intake of nitrate may confer certain health benefits (4,8,9) . Indeed, it has now been demonstrated that consumption of dietary nitrate in the form of vegetables/vegetable-derived products can improve markers of cardiovascular (e.g., reduced blood pressure and improved endothelial function) (10)(11)(12)(13)(14) , brain (e.g., improved cognitive function and modulated cerebral blood flow) (15)(16)(17)(18)(19) , and oral (e.g., modified oral microbiome and increased resilience against oral acidification) health (20)(21)(22) . Similarly, nitrate has been shown to improve exercise capacity/performance across a range of population groups (23)(24)(25) , making it a popular ergogenic aid amongst athletes (3,26) .…”
Objective: Evaluate knowledge and beliefs about dietary nitrate among United Kingdom (UK)-based adults. Design: An online questionnaire was administered to evaluate knowledge/beliefs about dietary nitrate. Overall knowledge of dietary nitrate was quantified using a 21-point Nitrate Knowledge Index. Responses were compared between sociodemographic groups. Setting: UK. Participants: A nationally representative sample of three hundred adults. Results: Only 19% of participants had heard of dietary nitrate prior to completing the questionnaire. Most participants (~70%) were unsure about the effects of dietary nitrate on health parameters (e.g., blood pressure, cognitive function, cancer risk) or exercise performance. Most participants were unsure of the average population intake (78%) and acceptable daily intake (ADI) (83%) of nitrate. Knowledge of dietary sources of nitrate was generally low, with only ~30% of participants correctly identifying foods with higher/lower nitrate contents. Almost none of the participants had deliberately purchased, or avoided purchasing, a food based around its nitrate content. Nitrate Knowledge Index scores were generally low (median[IQR]: 5[8]), but were significantly higher in individuals who were currently employed vs. unemployed (median[IQR]: 5[7]vs.4[7]; p<0.001), in those with previous nutritional education vs. no nutritional education (median[IQR]: 6[7]vs.4[8]; p=0.012), and in individuals who had heard of nitrate prior to completing the questionnaire vs. those who had not (median [IQR]: 9[8]vs.4 [7]; p<0.001). Conclusions: This study demonstrates low knowledge around dietary nitrate in UK-based adults. Greater education around dietary nitrate may be valuable to help individuals make more informed decisions about their consumption of this compound.
“…However, with emerging evidence, a new perspective has begun to emerge which suggests that increased intake of nitrate may confer certain health benefits (4,8,9) . Indeed, it has now been demonstrated that consumption of dietary nitrate in the form of vegetables/vegetable-derived products can improve markers of cardiovascular (e.g., reduced blood pressure and improved endothelial function) (10)(11)(12)(13)(14) , brain (e.g., improved cognitive function and modulated cerebral blood flow) (15)(16)(17)(18)(19) , and oral (e.g., modified oral microbiome and increased resilience against oral acidification) health (20)(21)(22) . Similarly, nitrate has been shown to improve exercise capacity/performance across a range of population groups (23)(24)(25) , making it a popular ergogenic aid amongst athletes (3,26) .…”
Objective: Evaluate knowledge and beliefs about dietary nitrate among United Kingdom (UK)-based adults. Design: An online questionnaire was administered to evaluate knowledge/beliefs about dietary nitrate. Overall knowledge of dietary nitrate was quantified using a 21-point Nitrate Knowledge Index. Responses were compared between sociodemographic groups. Setting: UK. Participants: A nationally representative sample of three hundred adults. Results: Only 19% of participants had heard of dietary nitrate prior to completing the questionnaire. Most participants (~70%) were unsure about the effects of dietary nitrate on health parameters (e.g., blood pressure, cognitive function, cancer risk) or exercise performance. Most participants were unsure of the average population intake (78%) and acceptable daily intake (ADI) (83%) of nitrate. Knowledge of dietary sources of nitrate was generally low, with only ~30% of participants correctly identifying foods with higher/lower nitrate contents. Almost none of the participants had deliberately purchased, or avoided purchasing, a food based around its nitrate content. Nitrate Knowledge Index scores were generally low (median[IQR]: 5[8]), but were significantly higher in individuals who were currently employed vs. unemployed (median[IQR]: 5[7]vs.4[7]; p<0.001), in those with previous nutritional education vs. no nutritional education (median[IQR]: 6[7]vs.4[8]; p=0.012), and in individuals who had heard of nitrate prior to completing the questionnaire vs. those who had not (median [IQR]: 9[8]vs.4 [7]; p<0.001). Conclusions: This study demonstrates low knowledge around dietary nitrate in UK-based adults. Greater education around dietary nitrate may be valuable to help individuals make more informed decisions about their consumption of this compound.
“…For example, dietary nitrate supplementation has been shown to reduce blood pressure (BP) by between ~2 and 10 mmHg [16][17][18][19][20], and could represent a potential adjunct to traditional antihypertensive medications. In addition, dietary nitrate supplementation has been shown to improve endothelial function [17,21], decrease platelet aggregation [17,19], and, albeit less reliably, enhance cerebral blood flow and cognitive function [22][23][24]. Over 100 studies have also been conducted exploring the potential benefits of dietary nitrate for sports performance, with findings from both a recent meta-analysis [25] and Delphi expert consensus [26] suggesting that nitrate can improve performance across a range of exercise modalities and in various populations.…”
In recent years, a number of studies have explored the potential salutary effects of dietary nitrate, with promising findings emerging. Indeed, numerous investigations have now demonstrated that increasing intake of dietary nitrate can reduce blood pressure, improve endothelial function, decrease platelet aggregation, increase cognitive function and brain perfusion, and enhance exercise performance. Most researchers have explored the health and/or performance effects of dietary nitrate by providing participants with concentrated beetroot juice, which is rich in this compound. Another strategy for increasing/optimising dietary nitrate intake, which could be embraced alongside or instead of nitrate-rich supplements in research and non-research settings, is the consumption of whole nitrate-rich vegetables. In this review, we explore the potential advantages and disadvantages of increasing consumption of various whole nitrate-rich vegetables to augment dietary nitrate intake. We compare the cost, convenience, availability, feasibility/acceptability, and efficacy of consumption of nitrate via whole nitrate-rich vegetables against concentrated beetroot juice ‘shots’ as defined supplements. We also discuss possible strategies that could be used to help individuals maximise their intake of nitrate via whole vegetables, and outline potential avenues for future research.
Nitrate may act as a regulator of •NO bioavailability via sequential reduction along the nitrate‐nitrite‐NO pathway with widespread health benefits, including a eubiotic effect on the oral and gut microbiota. Here, we discuss the molecular mechanisms of microbiota‐host communication through redox pathways, via the production of •NO and oxidants by the family of NADPH oxidases, namely hydrogen peroxide (via Duox2), superoxide radical (via Nox1 and Nox2) and peroxynitrite, which leads to downstream activation of stress responses (Nrf2 and NFkB pathways) in the host mucosa. The activation of Nox2 by microbial metabolites is also discussed. Finally, we propose a new perspective in which both oral and gut microbiota communicate through redox pathways, with nitrate as the pivot linking both ecosystems.
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