Key result
Acute beetroot juice reduces resting SBP by ~4 mmHg vs placebo, driven by males.
Why the study?
Reduced nitric oxide bioavailability may contribute to higher blood pressure in Black Americans, motivating investigation into whether acute beetroot juice supplementation reduces resting blood pressure and cardiovascular reactivity differently in Black versus White adults.
Does acute beetroot juice supplementation reduce resting blood pressure and cardiovascular reactivity in young Black and White adults?
RCT (n=38)
placebo-controlled
crossover
Does acute beetroot juice supplementation reduce resting blood pressure and cardiovascular reactivity in young Black and White adults?
p-value: p=0.029
Acute beetroot juice supplementation reduces resting systolic blood pressure in young adults, with the effect driven primarily by males regardless of race.
Supports acute dietary nitrate for BP reduction in young males; extends prior evidence across Black and White adults.
A complex interplay of social, lifestyle, and physiological factors contribute to Black Americans having the highest blood pressure (BP) in America. One potential contributor to Black adult's higher BP may be reduced nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability. Therefore, we sought to determine whether augmenting NO bioavailability with acute beetroot juice (BRJ) supplementation would reduce resting BP and cardiovascular reactivity in Black and White adults, but to a greater extent in Black adults. A total of 18 Black and 20 White (∼equal split by biological sex) young adults completed this randomized, placebo-controlled (nitrate (NO3−)-depleted BRJ), crossover design study. We measured heart rate, brachial and central BP, and arterial stiffness (via pulse wave velocity) at rest, during handgrip exercise, and during post-exercise circulatory occlusion. Compared with White adults, Black adults exhibited higher pre-supplementation resting brachial and central BP (Ps ≤ 0.035; e.g., brachial systolic BP: 116(11) vs. 121(7) mmHg, P = 0.023). Compared with placebo, BRJ (∼12.8 mmol NO3−) reduced resting brachial systolic BP similarly in Black (Δ-4±10 mmHg) and White (Δ-4±7 mmHg) adults (P = 0.029). However, BRJ supplementation reduced BP in males (Ps ≤ 0.020) but not females (Ps ≥ 0.299). Irrespective of race or sex, increases in plasma NO3− were associated with reduced brachial systolic BP (ρ = −0.237, P = 0.042). No other treatment effects were observed for BP or arterial stiffness at rest or during physical stress (i.e., reactivity); Ps ≥ 0.075. Despite young Black adults having higher resting BP, acute BRJ supplementation reduced systolic BP in young Black and White adults by a similar magnitude, an effect that was driven by males.
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Grosicki et al. (2023) conducted an RCT in Elevated blood pressure risk (n=38). Acute beetroot juice (BRJ) vs. Nitrate-depleted BRJ placebo was evaluated on Resting brachial systolic blood pressure (p=0.029). Acute beetroot juice supplementation reduced resting brachial systolic blood pressure by ~4 mmHg in both young Black and White adults compared with placebo (P=0.029), an effect driven by males.
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