The effect of dietary nitrate on macro- and microvascular function: A systematic review.
Level 1 - systematic review of randomized trials
Systematic review of 29 human studies
PubMed 36062809 · doi:10.1080/10408398.2022.2113989
What was done
Authors conducted a systematic review of human studies evaluating the effect of dietary nitrate ingestion on vascular function across different vascular beds. The review identified 29 qualifying studies: 19 evaluating macrovascular function, 8 evaluating microvascular function, and 2 evaluating both.
What was found
The abstract reports no numeric values, effect sizes, or confidence intervals. Qualitatively, the synthesized evidence indicated that dietary nitrate ingestion improves macrovascular function, whereas the observed effects on microvascular function appeared modest.
Why it matters
Nitric oxide bioavailability impacts vascular beds differently based on morphology and function. This review highlights that dietary nitrate may offer clear benefits for conduit arteries while providing weaker or less consistent effects in microvascular circulation.
Limits
The abstract provides no quantitative meta-analysis, pooled effect estimates, or statistical significance metrics. Total participant count, population characteristics (e.g., healthy vs. clinical cohorts), nitrate dosing, duration, and individual study risk of bias are not reported.
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