When nitrite levels in the blood go up after taking nitrate supplements, blood pressure tends to go down more. The higher the nitrite increase, the bigger the blood pressure drop.

Evidence Quality Assessment

Claim Status

appropriately stated

Study Design Support

Design supports claim

Appropriate Language Strength

probability

Can suggest probability/likelihood

Assessment Explanation

This is a correlational finding from post-hoc analysis, which can show association but not causation. The language 'correlates with' appropriately reflects the statistical relationship observed.

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

Inorganic Nitrate Supplementation Lowers Blood Pressure in Humans: Role for Nitrite-Derived NO

Randomized Controlled Trial

Human

2010 Aug

Contradicting (0)

No contradicting evidence found

Source Study

Inorganic Nitrate Supplementation Lowers Blood Pressure in Humans: Role for Nitrite-Derived NO

Score: 50

DOI: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.110.153536

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People with higher blood pressure to start with tend to see bigger drops in blood pressure when they take nitrate supplements.

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When nitrite levels in the blood went down after using mouthwash, blood pressure went up, and this connection was strong enough to be statistically significant.

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When bacteria that help convert nitrate to nitrite in the mouth are reduced, blood pressure tends to go up by a small amount (2-3.5 mmHg for systolic and 2-2.2 mmHg for diastolic).

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In rats, higher nitrate levels in blood and saliva were linked to lower blood pressure, showing how the body's nitrate system might help control blood pressure.

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How well your mouth bacteria convert nitrate to nitrite is related to how much your blood pressure drops after eating nitrate-rich food, even when accounting for your starting blood pressure.

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