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.

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

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.

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.

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).

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.