Abstract

Sub-Saharan African countries are experiencing an alarming increase in hypertension prevalence. This study evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of nitrate-rich beetroot and folate supplementation, alone or combined, for the reduction of blood pressure (BP) in Tanzanian adults with elevated BP. This was a three-arm double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel randomised clinical trial. Forty-eight participants were randomised to one of three groups to follow a specific 60-day intervention which included a: (1) combined intervention (beetroot juice + folate), (2) single intervention (beetroot juice + placebo), and (3) control group (nitrate-depleted beetroot juice + placebo). Forty-seven participants (age: 50–70 years) completed the study. The acceptability of the interventions was high. Self-reported compliance to the interventions was more than 90% which was confirmed by the significant increase in nitrate and folate concentrations in plasma and saliva samples in the treatment arms. This study provides important information for the design of high-nitrate interventions to reduce BP in Sub-Saharan African countries.

摘要

撒哈拉以南非洲国家正在经历高血压患病率的惊人增长。本研究评估了单独或联合补充富含硝酸盐的甜菜根和叶酸以降低血压升高的坦桑尼亚成年人的血压 (BP) 的可行性和可接受性。这是一项三臂双盲、安慰剂对照、平行随机临床试验。48 名参与者被随机分配到三组之一进行特定的 60 天干预，其中包括：(1) 联合干预（甜菜根汁 + 叶酸），（2）单一干预（甜菜根汁 + 安慰剂），以及（3 ) 对照组（去除硝酸盐的甜菜根汁 + 安慰剂）。四十七名参与者（年龄：50-70 岁）完成了这项研究。干预的可接受性很高。自我报告的干预依从性超过 90%，这通过治疗组血浆和唾液样本中硝酸盐和叶酸浓度的显着增加得到证实。这项研究为设计高硝酸盐干预措施以降低撒哈拉以南非洲国家的血压提供了重​​要信息。