Health Claims

The link between oral bacteria that convert nitrates to nitrites and blood pressure is stronger in people who don't have high blood pressure already.

The amount of oral bacteria that convert nitrates to nitrites doesn't seem to be related to whether people have prediabetes or high blood pressure.

Two specific types of oral bacteria (Neisseria flavescens and Haemophilus parainfluenzae) are linked to better insulin sensitivity and lower blood pressure in people without diabetes.

Among the bacteria that convert nitrates to nitrites, one type (Rothia dentocariosa) is very common and makes up about 8% of oral bacteria in most people, while another type (Propionibacterium acnes) is very rare and only found in a small percentage of people.

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.

People with more oral bacteria that convert nitrates to nitrites tend to have lower blood pressure, but only if they don't already have high blood pressure.

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

People with more oral bacteria that convert nitrates to nitrites tend to have better insulin sensitivity, meaning their bodies handle sugar better.

A specific bacteria that produces nitrite is linked to lower blood pressure.

Drinking beetroot juice makes people produce more saliva, with healthy people producing more than those with gum disease.

Bacteria that help convert nitrate to nitrite are linked to healthier gums with less bleeding.

Higher levels of a specific bacteria on the tongue are linked to higher blood pressure.

After gum disease treatment, harmful bacteria decrease in both the gums and the tongue.

Treating gum disease helps increase beneficial bacteria in the gums but doesn't significantly change the bacteria on the tongue.

People with gum disease have fewer mouth bacteria that help convert nitrate to nitrite compared to people with healthy gums.

People with gum disease have more nitrate left in their saliva after drinking beetroot juice, meaning their mouth bacteria aren't converting it as well as healthy people's bacteria.

Treating gum disease helps people with gum problems get the blood pressure-lowering benefits from beetroot juice.

People with gum disease don't get the same blood pressure-lowering effect from beetroot juice as healthy people do.

Drinking beetroot juice in a cool room doesn't change how much nitrate is in your blood compared to drinking it in a warm room.

When you're in a cool room, you produce more saliva than when you're in a warm room, whether or not you drink beetroot juice.

Whether you drink beetroot juice or not, you feel equally cold when you're in a cool room.

Whether you drink beetroot juice or not, your skin temperature goes down about the same amount when you're in a cool room.

Drinking beetroot juice doesn't change how blood flows through your skin when you're in a cool room.

When you're in a cool room, your saliva has more nitrite after drinking beetroot juice than when you're in a warm room.