The Transient Influence Of Arugula Extract Consumption On Cardiac Autonomic Modulation In Metabolically Healthy Men

Arugula is a green leafy vegetable that has recently been shown to have one of the highest nitric-oxide indexes of all fruits and vegetables. Arugula has been made available in capsule form as an extract, allowing for ease of consumption. This could potentially exhibit a potent effect on the cardiovascular system, specifically through vascular endothelium by means of nitrate and nitrite pathways. Various methods have been utilized to assess cardiovascular health (CVH) via cardiac autonomic modulation (CAM), which is linked to a lower risk of morbidity or mortality rates. An unknown factor is how CAM is influenced by arugula extract and the potential CVH implications. PURPOSE: To determine if a single acute consumption of arugula extract can transiently alter CAM in healthy individuals free of metabolic diseases. METHODS: Eight metabolically healthy males (age = 23.0 + 3.2 years, weight = 75.7 ± 13.7, %BF 16.1 + 4.7) completed a crossover design study that consisted of a single acute consumption of arugula extract or control to quantify CAM via heart rate variability (HRV). HRV was measured for 5 minutes in the supine position pre-, 1-hour, 2-hour, and 3-hour post-consumption using an elastic belt and Bluetooth monitor (Polar H7). CardioMood software was used to process HRV indices: high frequency (HF), low frequency (LF), and total power (TP) were assessed for the frequency domain, and standard deviation of all NN intervals (SDNN) and the square root of the mean of the squares of successive R-R interval differences (RMSSD) for the time domain. A 2 (condition) x 4 (time) repeated measures ANOVA was performed to determine changes in HRV to determine significance. All analyses were performed using SPSS (v. 28.0.1.1). RESULTS: HRV time and frequency variables showed a single significant difference in the frequency domain VLF (F = 7.03, p = 0.03), while all other indices were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: HRV indices VLF were significantly different when comparing arugula consumption to the control. Though several indices were close to significant, no additional significant differences were observed in HRV indices via arugula consumption. Continued participant recruitment will potentially result in significant outcomes upon adequate sample size obtainment. Rucola Health