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2w ago

Nitrate-Rich Beetroot Juice Cuts Seniors’ Blood Pressure by Reshaping Mouth Bacteria

Findings reveal that two weeks of concentrated beetroot juice transforms the oral microbiome to boost nitric oxide production in adults over 60.

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Overview

  • The randomized crossover trial involved 39 adults under 30 and 36 participants aged 60–70 who each completed two-week phases of nitrate-rich juice, antiseptic mouthwash washout and placebo juice.
  • Gene sequencing confirmed that older adults experienced a decline in potentially harmful bacteria like Prevotella and an increase in health-promoting species such as Neisseria.
  • The microbiome shifts enabled greater conversion of dietary nitrates into nitric oxide, leading to measurable blood pressure reductions only in the older cohort.
  • The research appears in Free Radical Biology and Medicine and was supported by a BBSRC Industrial Partnership Award to bridge nutrition, microbiology and healthy ageing.
  • Investigators recommend larger trials to probe lifestyle and biological sex influences and urge seniors to diversify intake of nitrate-rich vegetables such as spinach, fennel and kale.