The amount of oral bacteria that convert nitrates to nitrites varies a lot between people, from less than 0.1% to over 85% of all oral bacteria.

There are many different types of oral bacteria that can convert nitrates to nitrites, and together they make up about 20% of all oral bacteria in most people.

People with more oral bacteria that convert nitrates to nitrites tend to have lower blood sugar levels.

Women’s mouths have bacteria that turn nitrate into something else more efficiently than men’s, whether or not they’ve taken nitrate supplements—and this isn’t because their mouth bacteria are different kinds.

Using mouthwash that kills bacteria in the mouth makes it harder for the body to convert nitrate to nitrite, which lowers nitrite levels in the blood.

Using mouthwash that kills mouth bacteria leads to higher levels of nitrate in both saliva and blood.