Author Identifier (ORCID)
Catherine P. Bondonno: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8509-439X
Liezhou Zhong: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6847-4240
Nicola P. Bondonno: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5905-444X
Abstract
This study aimed to explore whether health effects of dietary nitrate depend on its source, by investigating associations between plant and animal-sourced dietary nitrate groups with markers of inflammation and CVD risk factors. Among 100 non-smoking adults (mean age 49 ± 13 years, 31% male), dietary nitrate intake was assessed using food frequency questionnaire (n=100) and 3-day food diary (n=89), combined with nitrate food composition databases. Nitrate intake was classified into plant, naturally occurring animal and additive-permitted meat-sourced groups. Associations between source-dependent nitrate intakes and lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2), C-reactive protein (CRP), fasting plasma lipids, anthropometry, and blood pressure were examined using multivariable linear regression, adjusted for sociodemographic, lifestyle and dietary confounders. Each 1 SD (mg/day) increment in plant-sourced nitrate intake was associated with a 0.191 SD lower LDL cholesterol (β = -0.191, 95% CI [-0.369, -0.004], P = 0.045; equivalent to -0.21 mmol/L) in primary models, though this association was attenuated in sensitivity analyses. Naturally occurring animal-sourced nitrate intake was not associated with any outcomes. A 1 SD (0.08 mg/day) increment in additive-permitted meat-sourced nitrate intake was associated with a 0.208 SD lower HDL cholesterol (β = -0.208, [-0.362, -0.054], P = 0.009; equivalent to -0.10 mmol/L), and a 0.192 SD higher waist circumference (β = 0.192, [0.005, 0.380], P = 0.042; equivalent to +1.29 cm) but not with LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure, Lp-PLA2, or CRP. These preliminary findings suggest potential differential associations between nitrate source and cardiometabolic markers that warrant confirmation in larger studies.
Keywords
Cardiovascular disease, inflammation, lipoprotein-association phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2), nitrate
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of Publication
1-1-2026
Publication Title
British Journal of Nutrition
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
School
Nutrition and Health Innovation Research Institute / School of Medical and Health Sciences
Funders
Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Comments
English, C. J., Bondonno, C. P., Zhong, L., Lohning, A. E., Bondonno, N. P., & Reidlinger, D. P. (2026). Association of source-specific nitrate intake with inflammation and cardiometabolic health: A cross-sectional study. British Journal of Nutrition. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114526106680