Keywords
Nitrate, Nitrite, Nitric Oxide
Abstract
Nitric oxide (NO) functions as a vasodilator, playing key roles in cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and endothelial systems. Elevated NO has multiple health and exercise benefits that include decreased blood pressure, reduced oxygen cost of exercise, increased fatigue resistance, enhanced gastric mucosal defenses, and improved glucose tolerance via diminishing insulin resistance and dyslipidemia observed in obesity and diabetes. It is of high interest, therefore, to better understand how consumption of specific foods and lifestyle factors may influence NO production. It is rare to observe high blood pressure in children because of the robust activity of the L-arginine to NO pathway during growth and development. However, as the L-arginine pathway is diminished in adulthood, elevated blood pressure becomes increasingly prevalent. Elevated high blood pressure can be mediated, however, via the enterosalivary nitrate-to-NO pathway that is initiated in the oral cavity. There are multiple dietary and lifestyle factors that can interact with the enterosalivary pathway, resulting in enhanced or diminished NO production. For instance, regular consumption of inorganic nitrate from dietary sources or nitrate salts enhances NO production, while chronic consumption of organic nitrate, as obtained from drugs such as nitroglycerin, is likely to diminish NO production. Additionally, nitrate-reducing oral bacteria are necessary for the conversion of nitrate to nitrite, but regular use of antibiotic mouthwash and/or antibiotic therapy have been found to decrease the activity of these bacteria, resulting in the reduced production of NO. Dietary factors, including high intake of high-fructose-corn-syrup and co-ingestion of glucosinolate-rich vegetables (i.e., cabbage family) may also impair NO production. Certain lifestyle factors, including smoking and chronic use of specific medications, such as proton-pump inhibitors, have also been found to negatively influence NO production. While it is important to consume a diet that is naturally high in inorganic nitrate to enhance NO production, it is also important to be aware of these other factors that may either positively or negatively influence the nitrate-to-NO pathway and, ultimately, impact health.
Citation
Chen Y, Benardot D (2023) Dietary, Lifestyle, and Medicinal Fac tors that Influence Nitric Oxide Production-A Review. SM J Nutr Metab 7: 14.