Potential Benefits of Nitrate Supplementation on Antioxidant Defense System and Blood Pressure Responses after Exercise Performance

Nitrate (NO(3)(−)) supplementation is associated with exercise performance, oxygen uptake, blood flow, and blood pressure improvement, and it can act as an antioxidant agent. This study evaluated the effects of sodium nitrate supplementation on oxidative stress markers and blood pressure responses after aerobic exercise performance in physically active males. Fourteen subjects aged 22 ± 3 years and with a BMI of 23 ± 1 kg/m(2) were submitted to four exercise tests in intervals of 5 days. Nitrate supplementation (NO session) and placebo supplementation (PL session) were acute (AC) and over a period of 5 days (FD) in random order with a crossover design. Saliva was collected at basal (0′); 60 min after supplementation (60′); immediately after exercise (90′); and 15, 30, and 60 min after the test (105′, 120′, and 150′). The NO session had higher concentrations (P < 0.05) of salivary nitrite in both AC and FD treatments when compared with the PL session. There was a reduction in systolic blood pressure (SBP) only after FD in the NO session. Furthermore, uric acid and total antioxidant capacity (FRAP) salivary concentrations increased, while SOD activity and TBARS levels decreased after FD but not after AC in the NO session. The results suggest that nitrate supplemented over a period of 5 days reduced SBP and indirectly acted as an antioxidant in healthy nonsedentary young men.