Active treatment lowered SBP, improved 6-minute walk test, improved measures of endothelial function<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter<\/b><\/p>\n
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WEDNESDAY, Dec. 20, 2023 (HealthDay News) — For individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), dietary nitrate supplementation in the form of beetroot juice results in a sustained reduction in systolic blood pressure (SBP), according to a study published online Dec. 19 in the European Respiratory Journal<\/em>.<\/p>\n Ali M. Alasmari, from the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College London, and colleagues conducted a randomized trial involving stable COPD patients with home SBP measurement \u00e2\u0089\u00a5130 mm Hg. Participants were randomly assigned to 70 mL of nitrate-rich beetroot juice (400 mg NO3<\/sub>) or an identical nitrate-depleted placebo juice once daily for 12 weeks (40 and 41 patients, respectively).<\/p>\n The researchers found that active treatment lowered SBP (Hodges-Lemman treatment effect mean difference, \u00e2\u0088\u00924.5 mm Hg), improved 6-minute walk distance (+30.0 m), and improved measures of endothelial function (reactive hyperemia index [+0.34] and augmentation index [\u00e2\u0088\u00927.61 percent]) compared with placebo.<\/p>\n “There is some evidence that beetroot juice as a source of nitrate supplementation could be used by athletes to improve their performance, as well as a few short-term studies looking at blood pressure. Higher levels of nitrate in the blood can increase the availability of nitric oxide, a chemical that helps blood vessels relax. It also increases the efficiency of muscles,” lead author Nicholas Hopkinson, Ph.D., also of Imperial College London, said in a statement. “This is one of the longest-duration studies in this area so far. The results are very promising, but will need to be confirmed in larger, longer-term studies.”<\/p>\n Abstract\/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n <\/i><\/p>\n