Skip to main content
NUTRITION 2023 Main banner
Icon Legend
This session is not in your schedule.
This session is in your schedule. Click again to remove it.
Back

Session: Impact of Food-based Components on Chronic Disease and Older Adults (Oral 26)

(OR26-05-23) The Influence of 7-Day Dietary Nitrate Supplementation on Resting Endothelial Function in Post-Menopausal Women

Tuesday, July 25, 2023
10:48 AM – 11:00 AM ET
Location:  Commonwealth
Disclosure(s):
Jocelyn M. Delgado, B.S.: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.
Penny M. Kris-Etherton, PhD: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.
Objectives: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in women, with the risk being greater following menopause. Consumption of beetroot juice and other nitrate-rich foods is a promising non-pharmacological strategy for increasing systemic nitric oxide to improve endothelial function in elderly populations. The purpose of this randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover clinical trial was to determine if short-term dietary nitrate supplementation, in the form of beetroot juice, could improve baseline endothelial function in postmenopausal women at two distinct stages of menopause.

Methods: Early- (1-6 years following their final menstrual period (FMP), n=12) and late- ( >6 years FMP, n=12) postmenopausal women consumed nitrate-rich (300 mg/70mL) and nitrate-depleted beetroot juice (0 mg/70 mL, placebo) for 7 days. Brachial artery flow mediated dilation (FMD) was measured pre- and post-7-day supplementation.

Results: Analyses with general linear models (SPSS) revealed a significant (p < 0.05) treatment*time interaction (p=0.047) for baseline FMD (FMDnitrate=4.43±2.80% and FMDplacebo=5.27±2.37%) and post-supplementation FMD (FMDnitrate=6.47±2.52% and FMDplacebo=5.09±3.01%). Stratification of postmenopausal women into early- and late- groups revealed no significant interaction effect.

Conclusions: These results suggest that 7 days of nitrate-rich (300 mg/70mL) beetroot juice supplementation is sufficient to increase resting endothelial function to a similar extent in postmenopausal women at both postmenopausal stages.

Funding Sources: T32DK120509, T32GM108563, UL1 TR002014