Oxide Pathway
When you consume nitrate-rich leafy greens, a fascinating biological process occurs:
Salivary Uptake: Approximately 25% of ingested dietary nitrate is absorbed into the bloodstream and actively concentrated by the salivary glands into saliva.
Microbial Conversion: When saliva is swallowed into the oral cavity, commensal bacteria residing on the back of the tongue reduce nitrate ($\text{NO}_3^-$) into nitrite ($\text{NO}_2^-$).
Systemic Reduction: Upon reaching the stomach and bloodstream, nitrite is rapidly converted into nitric oxide (NO), particularly in regions experiencing low oxygen tension or high metabolic demand (such as exercising or walking leg muscles).
This alternate pathway bypasses the traditional
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