Sodium nitrate supplementation improves blood pressure reactivity in patients with peripheral artery disease

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is characterized by elevated blood pressure (BP), low nitric oxide availability (NO), and exaggerated pressor responses to sympatho-excitatory stressors. Inorganic nitrate reduces peripheral BP in healthy and chronically diseased populations. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of eight-weeks of sodium nitrate (NaNO(3)) supplementation on indices of BP in PAD patients. METHODS & RESULTS: 21 patients with PAD were recruited to participate in this study, undergoing 8-weeks of NaNO(3) (n=13; 73±9 years) or placebo (n=8; 69±10 years) supplementation. BP responsiveness to a cold pressor test (CPT) were examined prior to and following the supplementation period. The systolic BP response (change from rest) during the first (26±10 vs. 19±11mmHg) and second minutes (32±10 vs. 26±12mmHg) of CPT were reduced following NaNO(3) (P