Effects of dietary nitrate supplementation on the response to extremity cooling and endothelial function in individuals with cold sensitivity. A double blind, placebo controlled, crossover, randomised control trial.

Study answer

What this study found

Acute beetroot-derived nitrate increased plasma nitrate and nitrite but did not improve cold-rewarming, endothelial function, blood pressure, or thermal perception in cold-sensitive individuals. Plasma nitrate rose from 53.1 ± 29.4 mM at baseline to 756.8 ± 175.2 mM after nitrate supplementation, and plasma nitrite rose from 73.7 ± 48.8 nM to 501.5 ± 245.8 nM, both P < 0.001. There was no effect on skin blood flow in the great toe or thumb, no effect on skin temperature during rewarming, and no difference in acetylcholine-mediated vasodilation at the forearm, finger, or foot. Resting…

Study & population

Double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized crossover trial in cold-sensitive adults in the United Kingdom.

Intervention

Acute ingestion of 140 mL concentrated beetroot juice providing 11.9 mmol nitrate, taken 1.5 hours before laboratory testing.

Key limitation

The study was small, with only 13 completers and some outcomes analyzed in n = 11 to 13.

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Original abstract