Incremental Doses of Nitrate-Rich Beetroot Juice Do Not Modify Cognitive Function and Cerebral Blood Flow in Overweight and Obese Older Adults: A 13-Week Pilot Randomised Clinical Trial

Abrar M Babateen, Oliver M Shannon, Gerard M O'Brien, Edward Okello, Ellen Smith, Dilara Olgacer, Christina Koehl, William Fostier, Emma Wightman, David Kennedy, John C Mathers, Mario Siervo, Abrar M Babateen, Oliver M Shannon, Gerard M O'Brien, Edward Okello, Ellen Smith, Dilara Olgacer, Christina Koehl, William Fostier, Emma Wightman, David Kennedy, John C Mathers, Mario Siervo

Abstract

Nitrate-rich food increases nitric oxide (NO) production and may have beneficial effects on vascular, metabolic, and brain function. This pilot study tested the effects of prolonged consumption of a range of doses of dietary nitrate (NO3-), provided as beetroot juice, on cognitive function and cerebral blood flow (CBF) in overweight and obese older participants. The study had a 13-week single-blind, randomised, parallel design, and 62 overweight and obese older participants (aged 60 to 75 years) received the following interventions: (1) high NO3- (2 × 70 mL beetroot juice/day) (2) medium NO3- (70 mL beetroot juice/day), (3) low NO3- (70 mL beetroot juice on alternate days), or (4) placebo (70 mL of NO3--depleted beetroot juice on alternate days). Cognitive functions were assessed using the Computerised Mental Performance Assessment System (COMPASS) assessment battery. CBF, monitored by concentration changes in oxygenated and deoxygenated haemoglobin, was assessed in the frontal cortex using near-infrared spectroscopy. The findings of this pilot study showed that cognitive function and CBF were not affected by supplementation with NO3--rich beetroot juice for 13 weeks, irrespective of the NO3- dose administered. These findings require confirmation in larger studies using more sophisticated imaging methods (i.e., MRI) to determine whether prolonged dietary NO3- supplementation influences brain function in older overweight people.

Keywords: beetroot juice; cerebral blood flow; cognition; inorganic nitrate; older adults.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Cognitive task battery.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Protocol of the near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) assessment; 3S: serial subtraction 3, 7S: serial subtraction 7, P&B: peg and ball. * Stroop and peg and ball are not based on a fixed time, so the data were extracted based on the least time recorded by a participant.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Prolonged effect of incremental doses of supplemental NO3− in form of beetroot juice on cerebral oxygen saturation (A), total haemoglobin (B), oxyhaemoglobin (C), and deoxyhaemoglobin (D). HN, high nitrate; MN, medium nitrate; LN, low nitrate; PL, placebo. No significant differences between groups were found for any of the cerebral blood flow (CBF)-related parameters (p > 0.05). HN (high NO3−; two 70 mL shots of beetroot juice/day, morning and evening), MN (medium NO3−; 70 mL of beetroot juice/day), LN (low NO3−; 70 mL of beetroot juice every alternate days), and PL (placebo; 70 mL of NO3−-depleted beetroot juice every alternate days). Each shot of beetroot juice contains 400 mg of NO3−. Data represent the change of CBF parameters recorded when performing cognitive tasks at 13 weeks from the resting period at baseline and were analysed using a one-way ANOVA. Data are expressed as mean ± SEM, (n = 47).

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