Dietary Nitrate Supplements and Ischemic Stroke Recovery
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2016-06-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
This is a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, pilot study. Participants will be
randomized to receive either beetroot juice or a beetroot juice placebo, as a dietary
supplement, for 30 days. Beetroot juice is high in nitrates, a chemical when ingested is
found to increase blood flow to the brain. The purpose of this research study is to determine
the safety and feasibility of using this nutritional intervention in (ischemic)stroke
survivors, and prove that plasma levels of nitrate and nitrite increase as expected.
Secondary outcomes includes measuring a comprehensive set of outcomes related to functional
status post-stroke, including mobility, upper extremity strength, cognition, depression, and
disability. Patients will also be randomized to MRI perfusion scanning in the region of the
stroke to measure cerebral blood flow.