Nitrate Supplementation and Muscle Blood Flow

Nitric Oxide Bioavailability and Dynamics of Blood Flow and Vasodilation With Age

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT03459027

Enrollment

Registered

2018-03-08

Start date

2017-10-10

Completion date

2018-02-08

Last updated

2019-01-09

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

Conditions

Active Hyperemia, Aging, Blood Pressure, Vasodilation

Keywords

exercise hyperemia, vasodilation, nitric oxide, dietary nitrate

Brief summary

The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of an acute dose of dietary nitrate in the form of beetroot juice on skeletal muscle blood flow in response to dynamic knee extension exercise in healthy older adults. All subjects will receive active (rich in dietary nitrate) or placebo (devoid of nitrate) supplementation.

Detailed description

Dietary nitrate (beetroot juice) is reduced to nitrite and nitric oxide within the digestive system of humans. Nitric oxide exerts potent vasodilator effects, which have been shown to reduce blood pressure and enhance exercise economy in humans. This pressure reducing effect may have implications within the regulation of blood flow during dynamic exercise in older adults.

Interventions

DIETARY_SUPPLEMENTSuper Beets

Nitrate rich beetroot powder (10g) acutely

DIETARY_SUPPLEMENTBeetroot powder

Nitrate devoid beetroot powder (10g) acutely

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

CROSSOVER

Primary purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

DOUBLE (Subject, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

60 Years to 80 Years

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Healthy older adults 60-80 years of age

Exclusion criteria

* Hypertension, * Smoking, * Heart disease, * Diabetes, * Body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m2, * Autonomic disorders and other conditions that may alter blood pressure or vascular function * Medications that might normally alter blood pressure or vascular function. * Older women taking hormone replacement therapy medications.

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Change in Skeletal Muscle Blood Flow within the Leg via Doppler Ultrasound	Pre and 2 hours post acute ingestion of dietary nitrate and placebo with at least 5 days of separation between visits.	Leg blood flow via Doppler ultrasound examined during dynamic knee extension exercise. Change in blood flow in response to dynamic knee exercise will be measured to examine the influence of dietary nitrate.

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026