The Effects of Oral Inorganic Nitrate Supplementation on Lower Limb Perfusion During Exercise in Patients With PAD
Status:
Recruiting
Trial end date:
2023-12-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a highly prevalent and costly condition. Intermittent
claudication (IC), defined as ischemic leg pain that occurs with walking, results in
functional impairment, reduced daily physical activity, and a lower quality of life. Although
the mechanisms contributing to functional impairment are not fully delineated, current
evidence suggests that the uncoupling of skeletal muscle cellular metabolism from tissue
perfusion may be responsible for exercise intolerance. We have previously shown increases in
plasma inorganic nitrite, via oral nitrate, produced clinically significant increases
exercise performance in patients with PAD+IC.
The hypothesis of this proposal is in patients with PAD+IC, 3-6 days of oral dietary nitrate
consumption (in the form of concentrated beetroot juice) will produce a greater tissue
perfusion, oxygen delivery, and enhanced muscle metabolism in comparison to placebo. This
will translate into an increase in physical performance in both muscle specific plantar
flexion exercise and treadmill measures of pain free ambulation. In order to test this
hypothesis, we will recruit 10 patients PAD+IC in a randomized, double-blind, placebo
controlled, cross over design.