Acute Effects of Dietary Nitrate on Central Pressure and Endothelial Function in Hypertensive Patients: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Crossover Study.

Background: The diet's inorganic nitrate (NO3-) may provide a physiological substrate for reducing nitrate (NO2-) to NO independent of the endothelium. Studies suggest that inorganic NO3- has beneficial effects on cardiovascular health.

Objective: This study evaluated the acute effects of 500 mL nitrate-rich beetroot juice (BRJ; containing 11.

Microvascular Reactivity in Hypertensive Patients with High Body Adiposity.

Background: Several anthropometric indexes have been proposed to determine the association between overweight and cardiovascular risk factors.

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between body adiposity and microvascular reactivity in hypertensive patients under antihypertensive therapy.

Methods: Treated hypertensive patients aged 40 to 70 were submitted to evaluation of anthropometric indexes: conicity (CI), body adiposity (BAI), visceral adiposity (VAI) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR).

Association of urinary sodium/potassium ratio with structural and functional vascular changes in non-diabetic hypertensive patients.

Studies aiming to associate the sodium/potassium (Na/K) ratio with hypertension use 24-hour urinary excretion as a daily marker of ingestion. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between urinary Na/K ratio and structural and functional vascular alterations in non-diabetic hypertensive patients. In hypertensive patients (n = 72), aged between 40 and 70 years, both sexes (61% women), in use of hydrochlorothiazide, we measured blood pressure, 24-hour urine sample collection, assessment of carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cf-PWV, Complior), central hemodynamic parameters (SphygmoCor), and post-occlusive reactive hyperemia (PORH).

Oral magnesium supplementation improves endothelial function and attenuates subclinical atherosclerosis in thiazide-treated hypertensive women.

Background: Epidemiological studies demonstrate an inverse association between serum magnesium and incidence of cardiovascular disease. Diuretics commonly cause hypomagneseamia.

Method: We evaluated effects of magnesium supplementation on blood pressure (BP) and vascular function in thiazide-treated hypertensive women in a randomized, double-blind, clinical trial.

Beneficial Effects of Dietary Nitrate on Endothelial Function and Blood Pressure Levels.

Poor eating habits may represent cardiovascular risk factors since high intake of fat and saturated fatty acids contributes to dyslipidemia, obesity, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension. Thus, nutritional interventions are recognized as important strategies for primary prevention of hypertension and as adjuvants to pharmacological therapies to reduce cardiovascular risk. The DASH (Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension) plan is one of the most effective strategies for the prevention and nonpharmacological management of hypertension.

Characterisation of hypertensive patients with improved endothelial function after dark chocolate consumption.

Recent findings indicate an inverse relationship between cardiovascular disease and consumption of flavonoids. We aimed to identify clinical and vascular parameters of treated hypertensive who present beneficial effects of dark chocolate for one-week period on vascular function. Twenty-one hypertensive subjects, aged 40-65 years, were included in a prospective study with measurement of blood pressure (BP), brachial flow-mediated dilatation (FMD), peripheral arterial tonometry, and central hemodynamic parameters.