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Sodium nitrate supplementation improves blood pressure reactivity in patients with peripheral artery disease
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Sodium nitrate supplementation improves blood pressure reactivity in patients with peripheral artery disease

William E. Hughes, David P. Treichler, Kenichi Ueda, Joshua M. Bock and Darren P. Casey
Nutrition, metabolism, and cardiovascular diseases, Vol.32(3), pp.710-714
03/2022
DOI: 10.1016/j.numecd.2021.12.002
PMCID: PMC8857030
PMID: 35090799

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Abstract

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is characterized by elevated blood pressure (BP), low nitric oxide availability (NO), and exaggerated pressor responses to sympatho-excitatory stressors. Inorganic nitrate reduces peripheral BP in healthy and chronically diseased populations. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of eight-weeks of sodium nitrate (NaNO3) supplementation on indices of BP in PAD patients. 21 patients with PAD were recruited to participate in this study, undergoing 8-weeks of NaNO3 (n = 13; 73 ± 9 years) or placebo (n = 8; 69 ± 10 years) supplementation. BP responsiveness to a cold pressor test (CPT) were examined prior to and following the supplementation period. The systolic BP response (change from rest) during the first (26 ± 10 vs. 19 ± 11 mmHg) and second minutes (32 ± 10 vs. 26 ± 12 mmHg) of CPT were reduced following NaNO3 (P < 0.05 for both) but not after placebo (first minute: 22 ± 10 vs. 24 ± 10 mmHg, P = 0.30; second minute 26 ± 10 vs 27 ± 10 mmHg, P = 0.72) supplementation. Our data suggest that eight-weeks of NaNO3 supplementation reduces BP responsiveness to sympatho-excitatory stimuli. NCT01983826. •PAD is associated with exaggerated blood pressure responses.•Patients with PAD have low nitric oxide (NO) availability.•Inorganic nitrate reduces blood pressure and increases NO in healthy individuals.•8 weeks of inorganic nitrate in PAD patients reduces BP responses to a cold stress.
Blood pressure Inorganic nitrate Nitric oxide Peripheral arterial disease

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