Introduction – Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of mortality globally with cigarette smoking a major risk factor for the development of CVDs and the leading preventable cause of mortality worldwide. Increasing inorganic nitrate (NO3-) intake can lower CVDs risk factors with the efficacy of NO3- dependent on its uptake into the salivary circulation and subsequent reduction to nitrite (NO2-) and nitric oxide (NO) (Kapil et al., 2014). Thiocyanate (SCN-), a competitive inhibitor of salivary NO3- uptake (Edwards et al., 1954), is abundant in cigarette smoke. Therefore, this study tested the hypothesis that dietary NO3- supplementation would increase salivary and plasma [NO3-] and [NO2-], lower BP and improve exercise tolerance to a lesser extent in cigarette smokers (S) than non-smokers (NS). Methods – Nine (5 males) healthy S and eight (4 males) healthy NS controls reported to the laboratory for initial baseline assessment (CON) and following six day supplementation periods with 140 ml-∙day-1 NO3–rich (8.4 mmol NO3-∙day-1; NIT) and NO3–depleted (0.08 mmol NO3-∙day-1; PLA) beetroot juice in a cross-over experiment. During each laboratory visit, resting blood pressure (BP) was assessed, saliva and venous plasma samples were collected, and a cycling incremental test to exhaustion was completed. Results – Plasma and salivary [SCN-] were elevated in S compared to NS in all experimental conditions (P<0.05). Relative to CON, salivary [NO3-] (3.5 ± 2.1 vs. 7.5 ± 4.4 mM), plasma [NO3-] (484 ± 198 vs. 802 ± 199 μM) and plasma [NO2-] (218 ± 128 vs. 559 ± 419 nM) increased with NIT in both S and NS, but the magnitude of these increases was lower in S (P<0.05). Salivary [NO2-] was similarly increased above CON with NIT in S and NS (P>0.05). Systolic BP was lowered with NIT (100 ± 10 mmHg) relative to CON (107 ± 7 mmHg) and PLA (103 ± 8 mmHg) in NS (P<0.05), but not S (P>0.05). Peak aerobic power (APpeak) and oxygen uptake (VO2peak) were not significantly impacted by NIT in S (P>0.05). In NS there was no difference in VO2peak with NIT (P>0.05), but APpeak was higher in NIT compared to both PLA and CON (P<0.05). Discussion – These findings suggest that the metabolism of dietary NO3- is compromised in S leading to attenuated blood pressure reductions and exercise tolerance gains relative to NS. These observations may provide novel insights into the cardiovascular risks associated with cigarette smoking and suggest that this population is less likely to improve cardiovascular health if they conform to global initiatives to increase fruit and vegetable consumption.