Does beetroot juice improve walking in people with lung disease and low oxygen levels?

The effect of dietary nitrate on exercise in hypoxia

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN14888729

Enrollment

Registered

2015-07-14

Start date

2015-10-01

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2026-07-13

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Patients with lung disease (COPD, interstitial pulmonary fibrosis, pulmonary hypertension) who require ambulatory oxygen because of exertional desaturation and adults with a history of COVID-19 and persisting breathlessness at least 3 months following the acute illness and evidence of pulmonary vascular abnormalities Respiratory

Interventions

140 ml of nitrate-rich beetroot juice (containing 12.9 mmol nitrate) or nitrate-depleted placebo.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: Current inclusion criteria as of 18/07/2023: 1. Adult patients with GOLD I-IV COPD who require ambulatory oxygen because of exertional desaturation 2. Adult patients with IPF who require ambulatory oxygen because of exertional desaturation 3. Adult patients with pulmonary hypertension who require ambulatory oxygen because of exertional desaturation 4. Adults with a history of COVID-19 and persisting breathlessness at least 3 months following the acute illness and evidence of pulmonary vascular abnormalities (abnormal gas transfer defined as a TLco <lower limit of normal) _____ Previous inclusion criteria as of 11/01/2023: 1. Adult patients with GOLD I-IV COPD who require ambulatory oxygen because of exertional desaturation 2. Adult patients with IPF who require ambulatory oxygen because of exertional desaturation 3. Adult patients with pulmonary hypertension who require ambulatory oxygen because of exertional desaturation 4. Adults with a history of COVID-19 and persisting breathlessness at least 3 months following the acute illness and evidence of pulmonary vascular abnormalities _____ Previous inclusion criteria: 1. Adult patients with GOLD I-IV COPD who require ambulatory oxygen because of exertional desaturation 2. Adult patients with IPF who require ambulatory oxygen because of exertional desaturation 3. Adult patients with pulmonary hypertension who require ambulatory oxygen because of exertional desaturation

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1. Clinically unstable patients (within one month of exacerbation) 2. Significant comorbidity limiting exercise tolerance 3. Significant renal impairment (estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <50 ml.min-1) 4. Hypotension (systolic blood pressure <100 mmHg) 5. Pregnancy 6. Use of nitrate based medication or PDE5 inhibitors such as sildenafil

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
An increase in endurance shuttle walk (ESWT) time breathing oxygen at the patient's customary flow rate.	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
1. Area under oxygen saturation curve to isotime during ESWT 2. Area under heart rate curve to isotime during ESWT 3. Resting blood pressure 4. Blood nitrate levels	—

Countries

England, United Kingdom

Contacts

Public ContactMansour Majrshi

m.majrshi22@imperial.ac.uk+44 (0)2073518029

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Jul 23, 2026