Summary

Mammals are unable to metabolize nitrate, but symbiotic bacteria on the dorsal tongue surface reduce dietary nitrate to nitrite, which is then converted to the potent vasodilator nitric oxide [Duncan C et al. Nat Med 1995]. This article discusses results of The Chronic Effects of Beetroot Juice in Hypertensive Subjects study, which assessed whether a once-daily ingestion of dietary nitrate would exert a sustained effect on blood pressure (BP) in hypertensive patients [NCT01405898].