Guelph, Ont. researchers link nitrate to heart health
Preventing heart failure and managing diabetes are the potential benefits of a new discovery by University of Guelph researchers.
In a study using mice, the scientists found that nitrate can improve heart health – and the reason why is linked to gut microbes.
“We used sodium nitrate in our study, but nitrate is found in green leafy vegetables like spinach and beets in particular,” said Graham Holloway, a professor in the university’s Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences.
Researchers studied the effects of the nitrate on mice eating a high-fat diet, and found the nutritional compound acts like a sort of shield, even in a state of obesity.
Mice in the study were fed almost exclusively butter for eight weeks, Holloway said.
“If they were consuming nitrate, they did not develop diabetes and they did not develop what's called diastolic heart disease. So the hearts functioned a lot better and the bodies used sugar more appropriately,” he explained.
University of Guelph researchers are studying how nitrate might be used in the body to help prevent heart failure and manage diabetes. (Spencer Turcotte/CTV Kitchener)
“What's really cool with this research is, with the nitrate diet, we were actually able to improve how well the heart relaxes,” PhD candidate Leslie Ogilvie said.
To explain the effect, the team looked to the gut, linking the heart health benefits of nitrate to gastrointestinal microbes.
“The microbes in your gut are incredible little factories for biochemistry,” microbiology professor Emma Allen-Vercoe said. “This is just another example of one of the things they can do to improve your health by taking a dietary substrate -- something that you're eating -- and changing it into a molecule or molecules that have benefits for your health.”
The tests also show improved control of glucose metabolism – a factor in diabetes.
The researchers say the next step is to examine the relationship between nitrate and heart health in humans.
“But our evidence would suggest dietary nitrate could be a beneficial intervention to improve cardiovascular health in a situation of obesity,” PhD candidate Heather Petrick said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn’t over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
U.S. vetoes a widely supported UN resolution backing full membership for Palestine
The United States has vetoed a widely backed UN resolution that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for the state of Palestine.
Bayer recalls hydraSense baby product over 'potential contamination'
Bayer announced Thursday it is recalling two lots of its hydraSense Baby Nasal Care Easydose due to a potential contamination.
N.L. gardening store revives 19th century seed-packing machine
Technology from the 19th century has been brought out of retirement at a Newfoundland gardening store, as staff look for all the help they can get to fill orders during a busy season.
Cat found on Toronto Pearson airport runway 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Grandparent scam suspects had ties to Italian organized crime, police allege
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.