In healthy people, the amount of nitrite in the blood was related to the amount in saliva, which suggests that the blood nitrite comes from the saliva through a specific pathway.

Evidence Quality Assessment

Claim Status

appropriately stated

Study Design Support

Design supports claim

Appropriate Language Strength

association

Can only show association/correlation

Assessment Explanation

The study design supports describing the correlation between plasma and salivary nitrite levels. The language 'was correlated' appropriately reflects the statistical relationship without implying causation.

More Accurate Statement

“In healthy young adults, baseline plasma nitrite levels were associated with salivary nitrite levels, suggesting a dependence of circulating nitrite on the enterosalivary circuit.”

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

Physiological role for nitrate-reducing oral bacteria in blood pressure control

Randomized Controlled Trial

Human

2013 Feb

Contradicting (0)

No contradicting evidence found

Source Study

Physiological role for nitrate-reducing oral bacteria in blood pressure control

Score: 45

DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2012.11.013

Similar Assertions

The process where nitrate moves from blood to saliva and gets converted to nitrite by mouth bacteria is important for keeping nitrite levels stable in the blood.

91%

Bacteria in the mouth help keep nitrite levels in the blood stable, which is shown by the fact that people with higher nitrite in their saliva also tend to have higher nitrite in their blood.

79%

Women with high blood pressure have much lower levels of nitrite in their saliva than women with normal blood pressure.

71%