The effect of dietary nitrate on weight management: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Cai W, Wei P, Yang F, Shu L, Du Y, Feng H, Shi J, Kang C, Peng X
Frontiers in public health · 0 citations
How it was studied
- Design
- Meta-analysis (indexed by PubMed)
- Studied in
- People
- Main outcome
- Health markers and function
- Intake measured by
- Not stated
Who paid for it
- Funding
- Independent funding
Based on full-text disclosure statement.
Publication
- Published
- 2026-04-28 · Front Public Health · vol. 14 · p. 1798811
- Publisher
- Frontiers Media
- Cited
- 0 citations · more than 25% of similar papers · 0.0× the field average
- References
- 28 works
- Access
- Open access (journal) · CC-BY
- Research areas
- Nitric Oxide and Endothelin Effects · Methemoglobinemia and Tumor Lysis Syndrome · Vitamin C and Antioxidants Research
- Keywords
- Blood pressure, Body mass index, Nitrate, Randomized controlled trial, Obesity, Weight loss, Body weight, Meta-analysis
- MeSH
- humans, obesity, nitrates, body mass index, blood pressure, dietary supplements, randomized controlled trials as topic
9 authors
From MO, CN, IN
- Wenjun Cai
- Peng WeiMacau University of Science and Technology
- Fan YangChengdu Medical College
- Lin Shu
- Y Q DUChengdu Medical College
- Huirong FengChengdu Medical College
Abstract
Background
Obesity has emerged as a significant global public health concern. Despite its potential therapeutic benefits, the existing evidence regarding dietary nitrate supplementation remains inconclusive. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effects of dietary nitrate intake on obesity-related outcomes.
Methods
A comprehensive search of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating nitrate supplementation in adults with obesity was conducted across PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase up to April 2026. The primary outcomes included body weight, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, and lipid-related markers. The study adhered to the PRISMA 2020 guidelines for reporting.
Results
Eight RCTs involving 199 participants were included in the meta-analysis. No significant effects of nitrate supplementation were observed on body weight, BMI, or diastolic blood pressure (DBP). A statistically significant reduction was observed in systolic blood pressure (SBP, 95% CI: -0.63 to -0.01; SMD = -0.32, p = 0.04; I2 = 41%). In addition, dietary nitrate supplementation was associated with significant reductions in total cholesterol (TC, 95% CI: -1.11 to -0.06; SMD = -0.59, p = 0.03; I2 = 50%) and triglycerides (TG, 95% CI: -0.81 to -0.09; SMD = -0.45, p = 0.01; I2 = 0%). Subgroup analysis stratified by intervention duration revealed no significant interaction effects for either SBP or DBP (all P for interaction > 0.05). Publication bias was detected for BMI and DBP.
Conclusion
Dietary nitrate supplementation exerts favorable effects on lipid parameters and systolic blood pressure, with no remarkable impacts on body weight and BMI observed. Given the relatively small sample size of the included evidence, future large-sample, high-quality, long-term randomized controlled trials are essential to confirm and reinforce the present results.
Systematic review registration
https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, CRD420251078542.
Abstract via Europe PMC. Copyright remains with the authors or publisher (CC BY).
Community trust
Loading…
How much do you trust this study's findings?
Comments
Sign in to rate, comment on or flag this study.Sign inSomething wrong here?
Flag this study if its information, labels or funding look wrong. An editor reviews every flag.
Sign in to rate, comment on or flag this study.Sign inEducational information about published research. Not medical advice, and not a recommendation to start or stop anything.