Nitrate, Exercise and Vascular Function in Midlife Women

Ki vehet részt

• Postmenopausal women (amenorrhoeic ≥1 year), between the ages of 45 and 65 years, inclusive, who are either normotensive or are medically treated for stage 1 hypertension
• Written informed consent

Ki nem vehet részt

• Current or recent (within previous 3 months) engagement in exercise training (i.e., planned, structured, and regular exercise) with an average net exercise time of >2 hours per week
• Current or recent (<12 months) oestrogen-based hormone-replacement therapy
• A change in drug therapy likely to influence major outcomes within the previous 2 months, or likelihood that drug therapy would change during the study
• Use of antibiotics (within previous 2 months)
• Use of antibacterial mouthwash (volunteers willing to cease using antibacterial mouthwash for a period of 4 weeks before randomization will be included)
• Current or recent (within previous 6 months) significant (>6%) loss or gain of body weight
• Abnormal cardiovascular responses during the baseline V ̇O2 max test, including symptoms, ECG abnormalities, arrhythmias, or exaggerated blood pressure responses
• Any evidence of acute or chronic diseases such as symptomatic cardiovascular or peripheral vascular disease, moderate or severe chronic kidney disease (estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) <50 mL/min), pulmonary, neural, or musculoskeletal disease, osteoporotic fractures, cancer, or type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus
• Fasting glucose >7.0 mmol/L or HbA1c > 6.5 rel. %
• Chronic use of nitric oxide (NO) donors, organic nitrites/nitrates, Ticagrelor, sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, high-dose statins (i.e., Simvastatin >40mg/day, Atorvastatin >20mg/day, Rosuvastatin >10mg/day), acetylsalicylic acid >100mg/day, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID)
• Above-average cardiorespiratory fitness levels (i.e., a V̇O2 max max above the 75th percentile of age- and sex-specific normative data: ≥43 mL/kg/min for women aged 45-49 years, ≥38 mL/kg/min for women aged 50-59 years, ≥35 mL/kg/min for women aged 60-65 years)
• BMI <18.5 kg/m2 or >30kg/m2
• A mean 24-hour ambulatory systolic/diastolic blood pressure of ≥130/80 mm Hg
• Irregular resting electrocardiography (ECG)
• Inability to perform physical exercise
• Being vegan or vegetarian or consumption of >5 serves of vegetables per day
• Current or recent (<12 months) regular smoking of >5 cigarettes per day
• Alcohol intake of >70 g per week and/or binge drinking behaviour
• Inability or unwillingness to follow the study protocol