A PILOT STUDY OF DIETARY NITRATE SUPPLEMENTATION IN ANAEMIC PATIENTS
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A PILOT STUDY OF DIETARY NITRATE SUPPLEMENTATION IN ANAEMIC PATIENTS
IRAS ID
123901
Contact name
Jonathan P Kerr
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust
Research summary
Anaemia, or low numbers of oxygen-carrying red blood cells in the bloodstream, is a common consequence of cancer and cancer treatments. People with anaemia often feel fatigued to the extent that it can have a significant effect on their quality of life by preventing normal day-to-day activities. Giving blood transfusions can help this symptom but often not as much as expected. Blood transfusions contain reduced levels of nitric oxide, a chemical involved in blood flow to muscles and energy use within those muscles. This chemical is also involved in preventing blood clots by making tiny clotting cells (known as platelets) in the bloodstream less sticky.
The University of Exeter sports science department has conducted research in healthy peoples’ muscle performance before and after giving them beetroot juice, which can increase the body’s production of nitric oxide. These tests have been performed in normal air and when volunteers have been breathing air with less oxygen in it. They have discovered that, in conditions of low oxygen, giving beetroot juice helps make the muscles work more efficiently and also more powerfully by better directing oxygen to areas in muscle which need it most.
Anaemic patients have less oxygen travelling into their muscles because of the reduction in oxygen carrying blood cells. Therefore, we are interested in finding out whether beetroot juice could help these peoples’ muscles work more powerfully and more efficiently, hopefully giving them more energy and allowing them to live more normal lives. We also hope to look at whether beetroot juice can reduce anaemic patients’ chances of developing blood clots.
REC name
South West - Cornwall & Plymouth Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/SW/0081
Date of REC Opinion
27 Aug 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion