I’ve been listening to your podcast for some time. I’m a 50-something with ASCVD who found the WFPB diet after having to get a stent placed and went 100% on the strict Esselstyn regime several years ago. A little over a year ago, though, I started hearing other points of view that helped me clarify my understanding of nutrition. I still eat a WFPB diet, but just not as strict in terms of fat (I now eat small amounts of nuts, avocado, tofu, tempeh, etc. – all things that are restricted normally on Esselstyn’s recommendations for those with diagnosed heart disease).
Anyway, getting to the point, something that many non-Esselstyn followers aren’t aware of is his more recent (last 5-10 years) recommendations around eating high-nitrate veggies daily. He’s been pushing 5-6 daily servings of these (all in your 2 mmol group) for those with heart disease spread throughout the day. The idea being that if you maintain a somewhat constant level of nitrate intake, you are keeping the level of NO constant and maximized throughout the day. He suggests it is also specifically responsible or REPAIRING damaged endothelial tissue.
I’m just wondering what your thoughts on that is. Is there any evidence to suggest that eating that much nitrate-rich veggies and over the course of the entire day vs. once or twice might have any advantage or is this, like much of what he recommends, just an interesting hypothesis without anything to actually back it up in terms of real data?
There does seem to be a loss of NO production with age, and associates with atherosclerosis and other disease processes.
However, I’m unaware of data that suggest we can accurately conclude that 4-6 servings of nitrate-rich veggies will reduce risk (relative to other veggies). So of course, eating in that manner will be beneficial due to eating more veg (and thus less of other things), but whether those dietary choices leads to repairing of endothelial tissue, I’m unsure.
Mechanistically, it may be a fair hypothesis, but we don’t have dietary research that shows that level is required.
I have an episode coming up soon with a NO researcher, Nathan Bryan, where we’ll get into this issue a bit more.
The general consensus is that you should aim to consume around 3-5 grams of nitrate per day. However, it’s important to note that the amount of nitrate you need will vary depending on your individual circumstances. For example, someone who exercises regularly will likely need more nitrate than someone who doesn’t exercise as often.
You can get your daily dose of nitrate by eating leafy greens like spinach and arugula, beetroots and beetroot juice, green beans and celery. You can also take a Nitric Oxide supplement if you find that it’s difficult to meet your recommended intake through food alone.
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Hello,
I’ve been listening to your podcast for some time. I’m a 50-something with ASCVD who found the WFPB diet after having to get a stent placed and went 100% on the strict Esselstyn regime several years ago. A little over a year ago, though, I started hearing other points of view that helped me clarify my understanding of nutrition. I still eat a WFPB diet, but just not as strict in terms of fat (I now eat small amounts of nuts, avocado, tofu, tempeh, etc. – all things that are restricted normally on Esselstyn’s recommendations for those with diagnosed heart disease).
Anyway, getting to the point, something that many non-Esselstyn followers aren’t aware of is his more recent (last 5-10 years) recommendations around eating high-nitrate veggies daily. He’s been pushing 5-6 daily servings of these (all in your 2 mmol group) for those with heart disease spread throughout the day. The idea being that if you maintain a somewhat constant level of nitrate intake, you are keeping the level of NO constant and maximized throughout the day. He suggests it is also specifically responsible or REPAIRING damaged endothelial tissue.
I’m just wondering what your thoughts on that is. Is there any evidence to suggest that eating that much nitrate-rich veggies and over the course of the entire day vs. once or twice might have any advantage or is this, like much of what he recommends, just an interesting hypothesis without anything to actually back it up in terms of real data?
Thanks so much!
Hi Levi,
There does seem to be a loss of NO production with age, and associates with atherosclerosis and other disease processes.
However, I’m unaware of data that suggest we can accurately conclude that 4-6 servings of nitrate-rich veggies will reduce risk (relative to other veggies). So of course, eating in that manner will be beneficial due to eating more veg (and thus less of other things), but whether those dietary choices leads to repairing of endothelial tissue, I’m unsure.
Mechanistically, it may be a fair hypothesis, but we don’t have dietary research that shows that level is required.
I have an episode coming up soon with a NO researcher, Nathan Bryan, where we’ll get into this issue a bit more.
The general consensus is that you should aim to consume around 3-5 grams of nitrate per day. However, it’s important to note that the amount of nitrate you need will vary depending on your individual circumstances. For example, someone who exercises regularly will likely need more nitrate than someone who doesn’t exercise as often.
You can get your daily dose of nitrate by eating leafy greens like spinach and arugula, beetroots and beetroot juice, green beans and celery. You can also take a Nitric Oxide supplement if you find that it’s difficult to meet your recommended intake through food alone.
Isaac, perhaps you meant 0.3-0.5 grams of nitrate per day? 3-5 grams could cause methemoglobinemia, which is lethal.
Correct Eric. I assume Isaac perhaps used the wrong units, and instead should have put miligrams instead of grams.
For example, WHO set their ADI for nitrate at 3.7 mg/kg body weight per day, and 0.07 mg/kg for nitrite.