Taking nitrate-rich supplements every day can lower blood pressure just as much in people who aren't on blood pressure meds as in those who are—meaning it might help even more on top of their regular medicine.

If you eat more foods rich in nitrate—like spinach or beets—your blood pressure might drop a little bit each day, and this effect is even stronger if you already have high blood pressure. It could be a natural way to help manage blood pressure without pills.

If you have slightly high blood pressure and aren’t taking medicine, taking a daily supplement with a lot of nitrate from veggies doesn’t lower your blood pressure any more than taking a tiny amount — so more nitrate doesn’t help here.

If you have slightly high blood pressure and aren’t taking medicine, taking a high dose of nitrate from vegetable powder for 16 weeks doesn’t lower your blood pressure any more than taking a low dose—so more nitrate doesn’t help here.

Taking nitrate-rich supplements every day can boost certain chemicals in the blood of people with high blood pressure, which may explain why their blood pressure goes down.

If you have early high blood pressure and eat a lot of salt, the good effects of eating nitrate-rich foods (like beets or spinach) on lowering blood pressure might be hidden — because too much salt could be canceling them out.