This article is likely to attack your guilty pleasure foods, so I’m apologizing right now in advance. I like junk food and fast food as much as the next guy, but the foods in this article are KILLING your nitric oxide levels. Why does this matter? Good question. Let’s explore the importance of nitric oxide as well as the foods we enjoy that kill our nitric oxide levels.

Let’s face it, most of us are suckers for crunchy foods, sweet foods, deep-fried foods, and other delicious guilty pleasures we all know are bad for our health. Some of us use these foods for comfort, for celebration, and for every occasion in between. However, despite the textures and flavors we crave from these foods, they come at a cost. We pay that cost with our vitality and health. In terms of health, the price is high blood pressure, high cholesterol, an increased risk of becoming obese, and more. In terms of vitality, the price is becoming sedentary, developing a lack of stamina and energy, and of course the death of nitric oxide.

 

Why Killing Nitric Oxide Is So Detrimental To Our Health

Nitric oxide (NO) is a gaseous molecule produced naturally in the body. It dilates our blood vessels and helps our cells communicate, among a plethora of other health benefits. The dilation of blood vessels is known as vasodilation, and this is the most important function NO has in our body for keeping us healthy. When blood vessels dilate, they widen and allow for greater blood flow. This improves the delivery of oxygen and key nutrients throughout the body. As I already said, nitric oxide is naturally produced in the body. However, as we age this production naturally decreases. This means we have to work harder to keep our nitric oxide levels up as we age.

Unfortunately, many of the foods we enjoy only kill nitric oxide faster rather than preserve it. These foods not only kill our nitric oxide levels, but they have detrimental outcomes for our overall health and unforeseen consequences for those that are dear to us. Nobody wants to watch someone they love consistently make poor food choices that hurt themselves and those around them. Our food choices have multiple consequences such as:

 

• Physical Health
• Mental Health
• Relational Health
• Financial Health

Let’s explore these consequences a little before diving more into the specific foods that will kill your nitric oxide levels.

 

Physical Health

This one is the most obvious for most people. When we consume foods that are overly processed, sugary, high in saturated fats, etc., we develop a multitude of health problems. Some of these include:

 

• High blood pressure
• High Cholesterol
• Increased risk of diabetes
• Risk of becoming overweight/obese
• Poor circulation

Other factors such as activity level, genetics, and environmental factors are at play as well. However, no one can deny that nutrition plays one of the biggest roles in overall health. As the saying goes, “you are what you eat.” We have to make good food choices to avoid killing our nitric oxide and developing these health problems.

 

Mental Health

This one is starting to get more attention in recent years but still needs to be addressed. Our mental health controls much of our physical actions. Many people turn to comfort foods to address mental health struggles, which only serves to increase physical health problems. People look to junk foods to cope with issues such as anxiety, depression, chronic stress, acute stress, grief, and more. So if we want to improve our physical health, we must also improve our mental health. Some quick tips for better coping strategies than eating foods that kill nitric oxide include:

 

• Exercise
• Set small goals for yourself
• Set up a healthier reward system
• Choose healthier comfort foods
• Do something you enjoy
• Spend time in nature
• Spend time with friends/family
• Engage in writing/journaling to express your emotions

 

Relational Health

Most of you might not have considered this consequence of food choices, but how you eat has a ripple effect that intersects with your relationships. These relationships can include significant others, friends, family, coworkers, and just members of your community. All of these are relationships that you are a part of. Your food choices can negatively impact all of these. Not only can poor food choices kill nitric oxide, but they can create problems in your marriage, problems in your friendships, problems at work, and so on. Obviously, some of these are less likely than others, but still in the realm of possibility if your food choices are taken too far too often. Your choices do not affect just you. Every choice you make has a greater impact than you might realize.

 

Financial Health

This consequence again is contextual. Junk food is in some cases cheaper than healthier options depending on where you live. However, over time those purchases can add up in a big way. Let’s say you buy a basic cheeseburger and fries meal three times a week because your schedule is hectic and you don’t think you have time to cook. If this meal costs approximately $8 per meal, you are spending $24 per week on fast food. That’s $96 per month and $1,152 per year. That cost adds up over time. Imagine the healthier foods and other purchases you could make if you weren’t spending over $1,100 per year on junk food.

 

How One Bad Meal Can Kill Nitric Oxide

Just to put the importance of food choices in perspective, there was a study conducted looking at how fast food affects nitric oxide. After just one meal, endothelial health was hindered for about 6 hours post-meal. The endothelium is where NO is produced. The meal led to tighter blood vessels and the endothelium function was impaired. While this effect is temporary, if you eat like this often, these effects last longer and take longer to recover from.

The impairment happens due to the free radicals released from fast food that create high oxidative stress. This oxidative stress inhibits NO production. Free radicals literally kill nitric oxide molecules. Making good food choices matters!

 

Which Foods Kill Nitric Oxide?

Now that we have discussed the impacts of poor food choices not just on nitric oxide, but on overall health and quality of life, it’s time to call out the foods that kill nitric oxide.

 

1. High Salt Foods

A high-salt content is common in heavily-processed foods because it enhances the flavor. A little bit of salt is good for you because it can replenish electrolytes in the body. However, too much salt restricts blood vessels. This can lead to high blood pressure and an increased risk of cardiovascular problems. Studies have also shown that excess salt intake reduces nitric oxide production substantially. Research shows salt usage should not exceed 5 grams per day. The World Health Organization cautions against consuming more than 1 teaspoon of salt daily to reduce the risk of developing rdiovcaascular problems.

Foods that are high in salt you should avoid include:

 

• Canned veggies
• Salad dressings
• Chips
• Salted nuts and seeds
• Pre-packaged foods

 

2. High Saturated Fat Foods

This one is where fast food really shines. Most fast food options come packed with saturated and trans fats. These foods have been shown to reduce endothelial function for several hours after each meal. If you eat fast food all day, it can lead to 18-24 hours of endothelial impairment. Furthermore, eating foods high in saturated fats can lead to the development of high cholesterol, particularly your low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL). As a general rule of thumb, you want your high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) to be high and your LDL to be low. Unfortunately, foods high in saturated fats raise your LDL, which is bad. Having high LDL reduces nitric oxide production. Since fast food is high in saturated fats and trans fats, your LDL will skyrocket over time.

If you want to avoid killing your nitric oxide, stay away from these foods high in trans and saturated fats:

 

• Fried foods such as french fries
• Fast food
• Cooking oils
• Fried processed foods such as potato chips
• Bacon
• Hot dogs
• Processed meats

 

3. Sugary Foods

I am a huge fan of sweets, but unfortunately, too much sugar can kill nitric oxide. Studies have shown that a high glucose diet leads to a drop in nitric oxide production. We can avoid this by watching our sugar intake to avoid sugar spikes. Foods that are high in glucose include:

 

• White bread
• White rice
• Milk
• Syrup
• Candy
• Cakes
• Cookies
• Ice cream
• Doughnuts
• Sugary drinks
• High starch foods such as potatoes
• Pasta

Substitute these white grains with foods such as quinoa, beans, and of course fruits and veggies. You do not have to cut all sweets, but you want to keep your sugar intake to no more than 24-36 grams per day to avoid the negative effects of excess sugar consumption.

 

Be Mindful To Not Kill Nitric Oxide

While it is essential to avoid foods that kill nitric oxide, you can also look into ways to boost nitric oxide as well to offset poor food choices. An occasional slip-up is something you can bounce back from. The key is making sure you are being mindful of your food choices as often as you can to avoid killing your nitric oxide. We all need that molecule as plentiful as we can keep it. Make sure you share this article with your family and friends. To learn more about healthy living tips and the importance of nitric oxide, check out the rest of our blog here.

 

 

When you think about your lung health, I doubt nitric oxide comes to mind. For some readers, this may be the first you are hearing about nitric oxide, to begin with. So the goal of this article is to provide an overview of what nitric oxide is, how it specifically benefits lung health, some other benefits of nitric oxide, and a few tips on increasing your nitric oxide levels.

Nitric oxide (NO) provides countless benefits to your body. The major benefits discussed today are lung health support and immune support. Just to clarify early on, I may use respiratory health and lung health interchangeably, but for the purposes of this article, they mean the same thing. NO’s impact on the body benefits energy production, circulation, stamina, recovery, and so much more.

 

What Is Nitric Oxide?

This gaseous molecule produced naturally in the body is more important than many people realize. It is chemically comprised of one nitrogen atom and one oxygen atom. Sometimes it can be confused with nitrous oxide (N20). Nitrous oxide has two nitrogen atoms instead of one, which changes its structure and uses entirely. The body uses 3 main compounds to produce NO. These are the amino acids L-arginine and L-citrulline, and nitrates found in your diet.

NO was recognized for its benefits to the cardiovascular system in 1998 when a few scientists won the Nobel prize for discovering how NO expands blood vessels and regulates blood pressure. Since 1998, thousands of other studies have been conducted on NO and its benefits. These studies show that nitric oxide plays a vital role in systems such as the respiratory system, immune system, bone support, brain support, and so on.

 

Nitric Oxide For Lung Health

Make no mistake, the biggest role played by NO is in keeping our hearts healthy and our blood pressure regulated. A role nitric oxide does not get enough credit for is the role in sustaining our lung health. Within the respiratory system, NO works to promote the dilation of blood vessels. NO also promotes the expansion of airways to the lungs. The fact that NO is a vasodilator is the biggest role it plays in the body. However, NO does not get noticed enough for how vasodilation improves lung health. Furthermore, NO promotes mucus secretion within the bronchial wall that supports proper lung function. Also, since NO acts as a signaling molecule, it can signal neurotransmitters within those bronchial walls that further promote proper lung function.

Essentially, NO provides:

 

• expanded blood vessels for circulation
• expanded airways for optimal oxygen intake
• mucus secretion for air temperature and lung function
• neurotransmitter signaling for proper lung function

Another role NO plays in lung health relates to blood flow. NO not only promotes efficient blood flow, but also efficient delivery of oxygen and nutrients via red blood cells. This efficient supply of oxygen allows the lungs and other tissues in the respiratory system to operate effectively.

 

What Happens To Our Lung Health If Nitric Oxide Is Lacking?

Simply put, sub-optimal nitric oxide production can lead to sub-optimal lung health. This is because a reduction in available NO means the lungs cannot function as effectively. When our lungs do not work as well as they should, oxygen is not delivered throughout the body as effectively when we inhale. So if blood flow and oxygen utilization are failing in the lungs, this failure spreads to other parts of the body as well.

We want our respiratory system to work at optimal capacity. It is because of this that research is being conducted to look into being able to inhale nitric oxide for those with a weaker respiratory system. This method of increasing NO levels very well could save lives one day if other methods of increasing NO are not working. However, rest assured there are plenty of other ways to promote NO production, and we will cover some of those soon.

 

Apart From Lung Health, What Additional Benefits Does Nitric Oxide Offer?

NO has its hands in a lot of cookie jars so to speak. NO plays an essential role as a vasodilator, an intracellular communicator, and a signaling molecule mostly. However, some of the other important functions NO plays a role in include:

 

• Supporting brain health and cognitive function by acting as a signaling molecule between neurons. NO supports memory and helps prevents the onset of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
• Supports the immune system by fending off foreign intruders and providing red blood cells with oxygen and nutrients
• Dilates arteries, which improves blood flow and regulates blood pressure.
• Improves muscle recovery
• Promotes energy
• Improves stamina and endurance
• Promotes skin health
• Helps protect the skin from UV damage

As stated already, the biggest role NO is known for is vasodilation. This process gives rise to many of the benefits NO provides the body. NO relaxes the smooth muscles within the linings of the endothelium in your vessels, and this allows the vessels to expand, or dilate. Vessel dilation is what improves heart health, muscular health, blood pressure, and lung health.

 

How Do We Increase Our Nitric Oxide Levels?

NO is a molecule we just cannot have too much of, especially since it has a brief half-life and we start producing less naturally by our mid-20s. It is unfortunate that as we age we make less and less ourselves. Luckily, it is easy to replenish. How do we do this? The easiest ways to increase NO production are through diet and exercise. Let’s explore this in a little more detail.

 

Food Choices And Nitric Oxide

The body uses the amino acids L-arginine and L-citrulline for NO production. It also uses nitrates found in certain foods as well. Your diet should contain foods that have all three of these ingredients for producing more NO for your lung health and overall health. Thankfully, there is no shortage of healthy options for getting these NO precursors into your body. Nitrates are the best choice for promoting NO production. You can find nitrates in many of the vegetables you eat. The best plant-based options are leafy greens and root plants such as beets.

Examples of foods containing high levels of nitrates are:

 

• Arugula
• Spinach
• Kale
• Celery
• Bok Choy
• Swiss Chard
• Mustard Greens
• Lettuce

Next up would be L-arginine. This amino acid is used to not only build proteins but also converts into NO. Some examples of food choices high in L-arginine are:

 

• Beef
• Salmon
• Almonds
• Chickpeas
• Oats
• Milk
• Cheese

Last up is L-citrulline. The body converts this amino acid into arginine, which is then converted into nitric oxide. So it doesn’t hurt to add some foods high in citrulline to your diet as well. These include:

 

• Watermelon
• Squash
• Cucumbers
• Pumpkin
• Cantaloupe

If you have some of these foods in your diet, you are off to a great start for promoting lung health and overall health!

 

Exercise And Nitric Oxide

Exercise is important because it leads to more NO production as a by-product. Exercising promotes better overall blood vessel function. The linings of these blood vessels are where NO production occurs. Exercise improves their flexibility and function. When you exercise, your blood pumps faster, and the pressure on the vessels increases. As this pressure increases, nitric oxide production is triggered. When NO production is triggered, vasodilation occurs and the blood vessels expand, which allows for better blood circulation. So when exercise increases, NO production increases, which makes exercising easier so you can exercise more. This in turn allows more nitric oxide to be produced, and so on. Starting one will create a cycle of increased levels and the ability to exercise more.

The best results come from endurance-based training that works your cardiovascular system the most. So think about incorporating exercises such as jogging, swimming, or cycling. However, even as little as 15-20 minutes of brisk walking a day will help boost your NO levels.

 

Other Tips To Boost Nitric Oxide Levels

Diet and exercise are great places for most people to start to optimize their NO production naturally. However, if you have these up to snuff and still feel like you could be doing more, you are right. So with this in mind, here are a few other tips for boosting your nitric oxide levels if you have optimized your diet and exercise:

 

• Increasing antioxidant intake. Antioxidants help stabilize nitric oxide and eliminate free radicals that create oxidative stress that inhibits NO’s bioavailability.
• Stop smoking. Smoking not only shortens your life span but also inhibits NO production and ruins lung health.
• Get quality sleep. NO helps the brain function through neuron signaling and improves memory. Getting adequate sleep allows the brain to stay healthy and NO to do its job in the brain optimally.
• Breathe smarter. There is evidence showing that breathing through your nose and practicing deep breathing techniques can improve your NO production. HOW you breathe matters!
• Find a high-quality nitric oxide supplement. Look for a good clinically tested and scientifically backed supplement with the right ingredients, the right quantities of those ingredients, and a lot of satisfied customers that swear by the product. 

 

The Bottom Line

Because nitric oxide plays such an important role in your lung health and overall health, it is essential you do all you can to keep the bioavailability of NO as high as you can. Focus on eating the right foods. Focus on moving your body around every day. Implement the other tips listed above. Do your research and find other ways to boost your NO levels. It is vital that you do what you can to keep your lung health in check, as well as your overall health in check.

 

 

First things first, what is cardiometabolic health? Cardiometabolic health is just a fancy way of saying overall heart health. To be more direct, it is the combination of heart and metabolic health. Examples of cardiometabolic diseases would be heart disease, diabetes, and renal failure. Now that we know what cardiometabolic health is, how do we improve and optimize cardiometabolic health? Let’s take a look at some stats on the subject and go from there.

According to recent research, as few as 7% of Americans are considered to be in optimal cardiometabolic health. In this research, the Americans sampled were evaluated with five criteria for optimal health. These criteria included:

 

• blood pressure
• blood sugar
• fat percentage and weight
• blood cholesterol
• whether they had any heart-related disease

Out of the 55,000 people studied, only 6.8% were optimal across the criteria researched. This means only 1 in 15 adults has optimal cardiometabolic health. Since the U.S. is a wealthy first-world country, these numbers are not great. The research highlights a growing problem in the U.S., a health crisis.

 

Is there really a cardiometabolic health crisis?

If you have ever gone on a Netflix binge, you’ll notice there are plenty of fringe documentaries on food and health issues. There is a reason there are so many of them; there is a growing health crisis in the U.S. These health issues will vary in severity depending on age, socioeconomic status, and race/ethnicity. Minorities such as Hispanics and African-Americans experience declining health compared to White Americans. This is potentially due to differences in access to healthcare, healthier food options, economic standing, education level, and other larger societal contexts.

However, the purpose of this article is not to dissect the political and societal pot-holes that exacerbate the health crisis, but rather to highlight the importance of taking preventative measures to avoid becoming a statistic. With that being said, what can we do as individuals to give ourselves the best chance to optimize our cardiometabolic health? What do we need to do to lower our risk of developing diseases such as heart disease and diabetes?

 

Let’s talk prevention of cardiometabolic health issues.

For those reading this without any medical background, there are three types of prevention: secondary, primary, and primordial. Each of these has a place in optimizing cardiometabolic health. What makes each one distinct from the other is the timetable and the effects of implementing each one when you do.

 

Secondary prevention

This is enacted after a health issue has already occurred. Let’s say you had a stroke. Your doctor prescribes you medication and gives you a list of lifestyle changes you need to make to reduce the risk of a stroke occurring again. This is secondary prevention. The goal is to prevent the stroke from happening again by making changes.

 

Primary prevention

This is enacted before the first stroke. The goal here is to prevent an at-risk individual from having the first occurrence. So let’s say you go see your doctor for a check-up and he/she determines you are at risk for stroke. To prevent that first stroke, they look into setting you up with a medication to mitigate risk and give you a list of lifestyle changes you need to make to further reduce the risk of a first stroke. That is primary prevention. You are getting the same treatment as secondary, but the aim is to prevent the first stroke from occurring rather than prevent the next stroke from occurring.

 

Primordial prevention

This is enacted before the risk factors are determined to exist. Let’s look at the stroke example again. Primordial prevention involves working to prevent the symptoms that give rise to risk factors from developing, to begin with. For example, a few risk factors associated with stroke are high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and high lipids. Primordial prevention would be implementing lifestyle changes to prevent the development of these risk factors. So if you are healthy right now but your lifestyle could lead to the development of risk factors, you would make changes now to stay healthy and further reduce the chance risk factors such as high blood pressure could occur. The goal here is to enact changes and healthy choices as soon as possible-ideally in childhood.

 

Which prevention is best for cardiometabolic health?

When it comes to cardiometabolic health and health in general, the sooner you make the changes needed to stay healthy the better. Ideally, we all implemented primordial prevention as children and are all in optimal health. However, the research we discussed at the beginning of the article tells us this is not the case for the majority of Americans. For most of us, we are left with primary or secondary prevention. Hopefully, none of you have suffered a heart attack or stroke just yet. Regardless, we can all implement the same lifestyle changes necessary to either prevent the first health concern from appearing or at least greatly reduce the risk of another cardiometabolic health issue from arising.

So how do we do it? What are the steps to take to improve your cardiometabolic health? The list below will not be all-inclusive, but it will contain the biggest changes you can make today to improve your cardiometabolic health and reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, renal failure, and other associated diseases.

 

The 5 ways to improve cardiometabolic health

Like I said already, this list is far from exhaustive, but it is a good starting place for most to make changes today. With that being said, here are five things you can start doing immediately that will improve your cardiometabolic health.

 

1. Choosing a healthier diet.

There is no shortage of research finding links between food and disease. Certain nutrients are linked to the development or prevention of diseases. However, for the purpose of this article, not all of this is important for you. What you need to take away is the best diet for preventing cardiometabolic health problems is a diet full of fruits and veggies. Furthermore, your diet should contain whole grains, nuts, seeds, fish, and poultry. You want to avoid excessive amounts of alcohol, red meat, processed meats, refined carbohydrates, added sugars, sodium, and trans fats. Pay attention to the label on the foods you buy. A good rule of thumb would be if you can hunt it or gather it in the wild, it is likely a good food choice.

As a last note on food, remember to take into consideration food allergies, dietary preferences, and individual tastes. There are plenty of options that fit these basic parameters while still adhering to your preferences. Do your homework and find food choices that fit your individual tastes while still being good for you.

 

2. Exercise.

As most of you probably know, exercise is a great way to prevent cardiometabolic health problems such as heart disease. Unfortunately, many of us exercise less as we get older. With this drop in activity level, we see a rise in risk factors such as high blood pressure. Exercise not only lowers the risk of cardiometabolic health problems but also does things like: improve sleep, lower blood pressure, boost mood, and keep weight in check.

The best part of exercise is that you do not have to kill yourself in the gym for hours on end to see the health benefits. As little as 20 minutes of brisk walking a day or 30 minutes for five days a week can improve your overall health. You can obviously do more, but the point here is that movement is medicine. Some activity is better than none, so set aside a few minutes each day and start moving more.

 

3. Drop your bad habits.

I’m lumping smoking and drinking here, but the focus is smoking. Drinking alcohol is definitely not a habit you want to be doing excessively, but in moderation, some alcohol such as red wine can have health benefits. On the other hand, smoking has no benefit to your health. Smoking tobacco is incredibly addictive and can not only increase your risk of developing cardiometabolic health problems but is also a financial pain costing on average around $2,300/year per person smoking one pack a day. Studies show that smoking contributed to approximately 64% of deaths of current smokers and up to 28% of deaths of former smokers. Smoking is also a well-documented contributor to heart disease, so it is in your best interest to stop smoking as soon as possible if you are a smoker. Some helpful tips for kicking the habit include:

 

• nicotine replacement therapy (nasal spray or nicotine patches)
• avoid triggers you associate with smoking
• chew gum or do something with your mouth to avoid smoking
• exercise
• find a support group

Find ways to stop smoking if the habit is hard to kick. Your health will thank you.

 

4. Get better sleep.

Sleep is an underrated and essential component of your overall health. Sleep has been shown to be a vital piece of your cardiometabolic health. Getting sleep is a lot like the goldilocks and the three bears story-too much sleep is bad and too little sleep is bad, so we must find the duration that is just right. Unfortunately, everyone is different and had different physiological needs. However, a good rule of thumb to start with is 7-8 hours of sleep. Some people will need less and others will need more, but this is a good duration to work with.

Sleeping habits that make or break a good night’s rest include:

 

• setting a sleep schedule
• a bedtime routine such as yoga or meditation to relax before bed
• limiting screen time before bed
• avoiding caffeine
• avoiding alcohol

Getting a good night’s rest can make or break your cardiometabolic health in the long run, so if you are experiencing restlessness or sleep issues, implement these tips above. Go talk to your doctor if sleep issues continue to endure or get worse.

 

5. Get your nitric oxide levels up.

Of course, we had to bring up nitric oxide (NO). Nitric oxide is the vasodilator that lowers blood pressure, prevents plaque buildup, prevents blot clots from occurring, and improves blood circulation throughout the body. Because of these benefits, NO is vital to optimizing cardiometabolic health. If you want to make sure you stay as healthy as you can, make sure your NO levels are optimized. Some things you can do to boost your nitric oxide levels include:

 

• nasal breathing
• eating lots of leafy greens
• getting sunlight exposure
• exercise
• finding a high-quality NO supplement

 

The bottom line on cardiometabolic health

There is plenty more you can do to improve your cardiometabolic health. The steps listed above are great for getting started. Make sure you consult with your doctor if you are at risk or believe you might be at risk for problems such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and other health concerns. Do the things in this article and avoid becoming another statistic.

 

 

 

Just in case you have no idea what nitric oxide is, let’s have a brief biology lesson. Nitric oxide (NO) is a gaseous molecule that aids the body in various functions. We call it the “miracle molecule” because of how many functions NO is a part of. Most of the benefits we reap from NO are because it serves as a vasodilator. This means NO widens the blood vessels. When this happens, blood can flow more effectively and efficiently. This production of NO is naturally occurring, but we can boost this production via habits and supplements. Furthermore, since NO production decreases as we age, it is smart to find ways to optimize nitric oxide production.

Some of the benefits of optimizing NO include lower blood pressure, improved circulation, increased energy and stamina, improved cardiovascular health, and much more. These benefits are not the only reasons you should be getting more NO in your life. In this article, we will look at just ten of the reasons you need to optimize nitric oxide levels in your body.

 

#1: Optimizing Nitric Oxide May Help Prevent Diseases

One of the reasons to optimize NO is doing can help manage or even prevent some diseases. There has been research that shows nitric oxide can help prevent diseases such as type 2 diabetes. This is due to most NO supplements containing the amino acid L-arginine. L-arginine promotes insulin sensitivity and help control blood sugar in some studies. These controls can help control the development of type 2 diabetes, but may not prevent it from occurring. A high-quality NO supplement or foods containing L-arginine such as beef, salmon, and milk can help optimize nitric oxide to control diabetes.

Another disease that optimizing nitric oxide can help control is Alzheimer’s. NO works as a neurotransmitter, acting as a signaling molecule for intracellular communication. This communication helps regulate the brain’s metabolic status and improves blood flow to the brain via vasodilation. NO can cross the blood-brain barrier, providing nutrients to the brain cells needed to improve cognitive functions such as memory, learning, and computational ability of the brain. All of these boosts that come from optimizing nitric oxide help offset the start and progression of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.

 

#2: May Improve Skin Health

When we optimize nitric oxide, we could be doing our skin a favor. Boosting NO levels can kill acne-causing bacteria such as the Proprionobacterium acnes as well as inhibit inflammation caused by these bacteria. This means NO can help promote clear skin for those with a history of acne or skin inflammation problems.

 

#3: Helps Lower Blood Pressure

This benefit of optimizing nitric oxide is one of the most popular reasons to supplement NO in the first place. High blood pressure is also known as hypertension, and hypertension is difficult to detect. High blood pressure is the force of your blood pushing against the walls of your arteries to an excessive degree. When this occurs, hypertension can lead to diseases such as heart disease and kidney disease over time. What makes high blood pressure so difficult to deal with is most people would not know their blood pressure is high unless they visited a doctor. Furthermore, many symptoms of high blood pressure can be easily misdiagnosed as something else. Common symptom include:

 

• Headaches
• Shortness of Breath
• Pains in the Chest
• Exhaustion
• Nausea
• Vision Problems
• Tinnitus (ear ringing)
• Confusion
• Lightheadedness
• Kidney Problems

These are just a few symptoms that are linked to hypertension, and you can see it is a wide range of symptoms. Supplementing NO or eating plenty of foods high in amino acids and nitrates such as leafy greens will help you optimize nitric oxide and get your blood pressure under control.

 

#4: Optimizing Nitric Oxide And Erectile Dysfunction

Once again, a quick biology lesson for those who need it. Erectile dysfunction (ED) is the inability to achieve or maintain an erection for intercourse. As men age, this problem becomes more common. An erection occurs when muscles in the penis relax, allowing blood to fill the chambers within the penis, and then an erection is the result. NO allows blood to flow more effectively thanks to vasodilation, so optimizing nitric oxide can help alleviate erectile dysfunction in some men experiencing symptoms.

 

#5: NO Can Reduce Muscle Soreness

Yes, NO can help make muscles less sore post-workout. If you have ever gone to the gym, something you may be familiar with is the concept of DOMS (delayed-onset muscle soreness). This means the worst part of the soreness can be experienced between 24-72 hours after your workout. That’s the bad news. The good news is that optimizing nitric oxide can reduce DOMS by up to 40% in some cases. The effectiveness of NO will depend on the intensity and duration of the workout, but NO has been shown to be able to decrease muscle soreness. This is because NO’s vasodilation creates greater blood floe to the muscles. This allows oxygen and nutrients to be delivered more effectively, speeding up muscle recovery.

 

#6: Optimizing Nitric Oxide Can Improve Exercise Performance

This one ties right into decreasing muscle soreness. Since NO is involves vasodilation, that same increase in the delivery of nutrients and oxygen post-workout improves muscles working during the workout. NO provides extra support to muscles during thr workout. This helps you push through harder workouts for longer. This benefit has been known for awhile. This is why athletes love supplementing NO products. While most of these are marketed as a muscle booster, NO supplements usually contain the amino acids L-arginine and/or L-citrulline. These amino acids are precursors to NO production in the body, and many athletes swear by NO’s ability to increase endurance. Optimizing NO is particularly helpful for endurance sports such as swimming and cycling. If you wanna see gains in the gym and push yourself, eat your veggies!

 

#7: NO Helps Boost Your Immune System

This benefit stems from vasodilation. Since NO widens vessels and promotes better blood flow, white blood cells circulate more efficiently throughout the body. This means your immune response becomes more rapid with adequate NO levels. With COVID still being a concern for many as well as other infectious diseases, we want to be able to fight these off quickly. Optimizing nitric oxide helps the immune system do its job better.

 

#8: NO Improves Lung Function

Vasodilation improves overall blood circulation in the body. This means vasodilation improves oxygen and nutrient circulation and delivery as well. With this in mind, it should be no surprise that optimizing nitric oxide improves lung function. NO increases the amount of oxygen being transported and delivered to the lungs, heart, and other organs throughout the body.

 

#9: Optimizing NO Can Enhance Weight Loss

This is another benefit the gym rats reading this will want to hear. When we increase our NO production, nutrients are delivered more effectively. As nutrients are more readily available, we can use them as fuel more readily. This means we can burn fat and other fuel sources faster because our blood is flowing better. If you are trying to lose weight, optimizing nitric oxide can help. While this benefit is far from an obvious one, it is still a useful benefit for some.

 

#10: Optimizing NO Can Lead To Increased Energy

Optimizing nitric oxide can help boost your energy levels. Once again, we have vasodilation to thank for this. Because nutrients and oxygen are delivered more efficiently through the body when blood vessels expand, NO promotes better overall energy thanks to improved circulation. Many avid NO supplement users mention noticing more energy when they start boosting their NO levels, and maybe you will too!

 

How Do We Boost Our NO Levels To Experience These Benefits?

While a supplement is great, I believe in optimizing nitric oxide through a healthy lifestyle first and foremost. Below you will find a few tips for boosting your NO levels with some lifestyle tweaks.

 

• Eat plenty of vegetables! A diet high in various veggies is vital to promoting higher NO levels. Dark leafy veggies such as arugula, spinach, kale, and mustard greens are a great start. Most vegetables are high in the dietary nitrates which promote NO production in the body. These veggies are also full of other amino acids and antioxidants that assist in maximizing your body’s use of nitric oxide.
• Limit fluoride and mouthwash. These are great for killing off the bad bacteria that cause cavities and gingivitis. Unfortunately, these kill off the good bacteria that help the body produce nitric oxide.
• Move around. Exercise keeps the endothelium which produces NO healthy and flexible. Exercise also increases vasodilation. You create a circular effect when you exercise. Exercise promotes nitric oxide production, which gives you more energy to exercise more, and so on.
• Get outside. The sun not only helps the body produce vitamin D, but also nitric oxide. Spending 20 minutes in the sun each day helps the body produce more NO as well as lowers blood pressure according to some research.

There are more things you can do, but these tips are a great place to start. Once you have nailed down some lifestyle changes, then you can look into NO supplements for optimizing nitric oxide.

 

Optimize Nitric Oxide And Improve Your Health

Nitric oxide is an essential molecule that keeps your body healthy and functional. NO’s vasodilation properties assists with so many vital functions. We went over only ten reasons for you to optimize nitric oxide. Believe me, there are definitely more than ten. Check out our other articles to learn more about nitric oxide, and make sure you save this article for future reference. Lastly, spread the knowledge you have learned here today. Share this information with family and friends so everyone can learn more about the miracle molecule that is nitric oxide.

 

What is Nitric Oxide?

Whether you know it or not, nitric oxide (NO) is one of the most important molecules the human body produces. It is because of how essential it is to various functions in the body it has been deemed the “miracle molecule” by medical professionals. Nitric oxide is comprised of one nitrogen atom and one oxygen atom. The most important work NO does is act as a signaling molecule in the cardiovascular system. NO accomplishes most of its work via vasodilation. Vasodilation is the act of widening the blood vessels so blood can flow more efficiently. This occurs due to the smooth muscles within the lining of blood vessels relaxing when nitric oxide is produced there. NO gets produced and the blood vessels expand. Since NO allows for efficient blood circulation, this makes it vital for almost every function that keeps us alive and healthy.

NO is so vital because the expansion of blood vessels allows for blood, oxygen, and nutrients to be delivered throughout the body effectively. This increased blood flow also allows for a decreased risk of plaque buildup and blood clotting. However, a lack of nitric oxide creates a greater risk of heart disease, diabetes, erectile dysfunction, blood clotting, hypertension, and other cardiovascular problems. Fortunately, there are ways we can combat these risks and keep our NO levels optimized. In this article, we will look at the importance of nitric oxide and how to get more of it to stay healthy.

 

What makes Nitric Oxide so important?

Since NO is so important to have ample amounts of at all times, it makes the following facts hard to swallow:

 

1. NO has an incredibly short half-life.
2. NO production declines rapidly as we age.

Because NO dissipates so quickly, we have to have a constant supply produced. This is easy for most of us, but as we age production declines. Beginning as early as your 30’s you can experience a roughly 20% drop in NO production, and this trend will continue every decade for most. It is estimated that approximately 80%-85% of your natural nitric oxide production capacity is gone by age 65. While some of this production decline is specific to aging, other factors such as oxidative stress, lifestyle choices, and daily habits can make this better or worse. Sleep quality, smoking, poor nutrition, being sedentary, and hormones can all impact NO production capability.

Most research agrees that the decline of NO allows for the increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, it is important to do all you can to keep your nitric oxide levels high. Since NO is a vasodilator, it is too important to allow to drop in production. As a vasodilator, it greatly impacts functions that rely on blood flow efficiency. NO can decrease muscle soreness, improve energy and stamina, decrease the risk of plaque build-up and blot clotting, and more.

 

How do you know if you need more NO?

Since nitric oxide is so essential for most body functions, it is easy to say everyone needs more of it. However, some people need more NO than others. How do you know if you need NO? If you fit into some of these categories below, you need more nitric oxide.

 

These people need Nitric Oxide.

 

• Anyone experiencing hypertension
• Anyone 30 years or older
• Men who are experiencing erectile dysfunction
• People suffering from low energy
• People who are diabetic
• Anyone experiencing circulation issues
• Anyone experiencing immune system issues

There are other symptoms to look for, but these are the biggest indicators you need NO.

 

How do we increase our Nitric Oxide levels?

If the last paragraph told you that you need more nitric oxide, the next question should be: “how do I get more of it?” Below you will find a list of things you can do to increase your NO production.

 

• Exercise – exercise improves your ability to produce NO naturally, which in turn improves your exercise performance. Engaging in at least 3 hours of moderate-intensity exercise per week is best for improving nitric oxide production. You can also perform approximately 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise per week to yield similar results.
• Eat nitrate-rich vegetables – vegetables such as celery, arugula, spinach, beetroot, and lettuce are high in dietary nitrates. Therefore, they are rich in a compound the body needs to promote nitric oxide production.
• Increase antioxidant consumption – free radicals are a contributing factor in the short half-life of nitric oxide. Consuming antioxidants such as vitamin C and polyphenols helps neutralize free radicals, which helps promote more NO production.
• Eliminate mouthwash – mouthwash is great for defending your oral health from bad bacteria and cavities. however, mouthwash also kills off the good bacteria that promote nitric oxide production.
• Quit smoking – this habit causes blood vessel constriction. Constricted blood vessels reduce blood flow and inhibits NO production.

There of plenty of other things you can implement, but this is a solid starting point to focus on.

 

What about supplements?

As with anything in the health and wellness industry, sometimes a supplement is the necessary answer. Maybe you are already optimizing your lifestyle and still not seeing enough results. Maybe you are just incredibly busy and a supplement is simply more convenient than meal prep and a strict exercise regimen. whatever the reason, there are many supplement options available on the market. Nitric oxide supplements are easily available in stores and online, but they are not all created equal. Many NO supplements are marketed as an “exercise pre-workout” meant to promote blood flow to your muscles. While this is great for fitness enthusiasts, the main purpose of NO is not to get a great “pump” at the gym.

Most supplements on the market have some of the right ingredients such as L-arginine and L-citrulline, but not at the doses or ratios needed to yield results. The ideal ratio of these amino acids is 2:1 to optimize nitric oxide bioavailability, as well as several antioxidants and minerals to allow for maximal production and uptake of NO. Most supplements just do not have that. Most supplements contain some half-baked “proprietary blend” of ingredients that should work but don’t. Other products will contain nitrates from beet extract or a leafy green extract such as arugula or spinach, but may not have enough nitrates to make it worth the price tag.

 

How to choose the right NO supplement.

Simply put, do your homework. Do your research and make sure the product is going to yield results. Make sure the supplement you are looking at is clinically tested. Make sure the supplement is able to prove what it claims it can do. Do they have client testimonials? Do they have the right precursors to promote nitric oxide production in the body? Does the label clearly state all the ingredients and the REASON for those ingredients? Do they come with some test or method to prove the supplement works?

 

 

Are there side effects to these supplements?

Generally, nitric oxide supplements are considered safe. As previously stated, not all of them are effective at promoting NO production, but they are still generally safe to use. Most of the side effects come from excess amounts of NO precursors. For example, dosing more than 10g of L-arginine can cause stomach discomfort, diarrhea, and outbreaks for those with herpes. Furthermore, beetroot juice can affect stool and urine color. However, this side effect is alarming but harmless. If you are worried about potential side effects, be sure to do your research and consult your doctor or dietician before supplementing.

 

 

The Takeaway

Nitric oxide is absolutely essential for your overall health. Ideally, you are keeping your nitric oxide levels optimized through quality sleep, quality nutrition, exercise, and better daily habits. Furthermore, you are using a quality NO supplement if supplements are easier for your lifestyle. Regardless of how you are optimizing NO production in your body, make sure it is a priority. NO is vital for offsetting the risk of cardiovascular disease and circulation issues. You need to make sure you are doing everything you can to promote nitric oxide production. Make sure you save this article for future reference and share it with family and friends who need to know this for their own health.

 

Nitric oxide (NO), dubbed the “miracle molecule,” is a gas comprised of oxygen and nitrogen. Nitric oxide helps optimize our blood flow, supports our immune system, supports cognitive functions, and so much more. Our bodies naturally produce NO via lifestyle choices and diet. However, the best way to boost nitric oxide is with diet changes. The goal of this article is to provide baseline knowledge of NO and offer some useful methods for boosting your nitric oxide production capacity with whole food choices.

 

Whole foods…this is the way…to boost nitric oxide

If you have not been living under a rock, you are well aware that fad diets are very much ingrained into our lives. We see new diet trends popping up on social media, in the news, on websites, and everywhere in between every day. Your view on macronutrients such as fats and carbohydrates will depend on which nutrition guru you subscribe to. You will hear that carbs are the enemy if you’re keto-based. Nutrition purists will tell you to eliminate all sugar and processed foods. Some gurus will tell you to only eat fruits and vegetables. Others will tell you to cut gluten out of your diet.

Plenty of “professionals” will also tell you to eat within a window and fast the rest of the time. With all these suggestions being thrown at you, and plenty of hard data backing their claims, it can be tough to figure out what works best for you. However, if you can fight your way through the chaos, you’ll know the best diet is one consisting of a balance of protein, fruits, vegetables, grains, seeds, and other components. Eating this way consistently and moderately when paired with quality sleep and exercise is a strong foundation for a healthy life.

 

What’s the deal with nitric oxide?

Nitric oxide does not get the credit it is due. NO is not a topic heavily discussed in health and wellness circles often. This is a shame because NO is essential for a healthy life. Integrating the right NO-friendly whole foods is important for supporting your overall health and wellness goals. We will explore:

 

• A breakdown of what nitric oxide is and what it does
• Some of the benefits of NO
• Some whole foods that are NO-friendly
• Different ways to integrate those foods into your diet.

Without further ado, let’s dig into the good stuff.

 

What is nitric oxide and what does it do?

NO is a powerful gas that serves as a messenger molecule. NO is vital for most cells in the body. For those for whom chemistry is not their forte, we abbreviate nitric oxide as NO because it has one nitrogen molecule and one oxygen molecule. NO’s biggest role in the body is that of vasodilator. This means NO signals the smooth muscles in the inner lining of arterial walls to relax and expand. When this happens, blood flow can become more efficient. Also, NO is capable of triggering immune cells to fight off infections and intruders. Furthermore, NO helps neurons in the brain communicate, fending off cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s.

With all this being said, what else can nitric oxide do? To avoid making this article way too long, I will just provide a list of other benefits rather than a detailed breakdown. NO can:

 

• Lower blood pressure
• Helps control joint inflammation and arthritis
• Supports bone health
• Helps keep arteries flexible
• Works to keep skin healthy
• Protects skin from sun damage
• Reduces risk of heart disease
• Can help reduce erectile dysfunction in men
• Helps lower cholesterol
• Helps prevent blood clots from forming
• Can reduce the risk of diabetes
• Able to improve energy and stamina
• Improves exercise performance
• Can reduce muscle soreness
• AND STILL SO MUCH MORE!

It is easy to see how essential NO is to our health. These many benefits are exactly why we refer to NO as the miracle molecule.

 

All good things must come to an end

Like I’ve already said, nitric oxide is naturally produced in our bodies via arterial wall linings. Unfortunately, as we age this production efficiency diminishes. By the time you are 40, you will likely be producing only half of what you were at age 25. The downside of this inevitable diminished capacity to produce NO can increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and more. Because of this, we must find ways to boost nitric oxide production.

If you happen to be a little older and are worried you might be deficient in nitric oxide, there are signs you can look for. However, if you’re looking to enhance your overall health through diet changes, you may be wondering which foods contain the miracle molecule so I can boost nitric oxide levels.

The good news is that there are plenty of options to choose from. Our bodies make nitric oxide by digesting and converting precursors of NO into our food. These precursors are L-arginine, L-citrulline, and naturally occurring nitrates. However, we must make the call on which foods best suit our needs.

 

So, which foods help you boost nitric oxide?

If you’re looking to use nitrates as a NO booster for your diet, most vegetables – particularly leafy greens – are the best choice. Following those would be other foods such as certain fruits, meat, dark chocolate, garlic, and some nuts and seeds. If you’re looking at the amino acid L-arginine to boost nitric oxide, some choices for food could include salmon, almonds, dairy products, and other nuts and seeds. If the choice is the amino acid L-citrulline, some food choices can include watermelon, pumpkin, squash, chickpeas, and cucumbers.

Below you will see a list of foods to keep handy for trips to the grocery store. If you buy several of these superfoods, you’ll for sure be maximizing your nitric oxide production capacity, no matter what age you are.

 

 

How to use whole foods to boost NO production

Now for what you clicked on this article for. Now that you know a little more about what nitric oxide is and what foods to eat to boost it, we can look at a few tips for meals you can use to maximize your nitric oxide production at every meal. Be sure to keep these tips in mind. Consider bookmarking this article so you can come back to it later for reference.

Tip #1: Eat RAW greens with every meal if possible. At the very least, shoot for raw greens with one meal every day at an absolute minimum. Because greens are so high in nitrates, they are the ideal whole food for boosting nitric oxide. Eat them raw if possible, since cooking them can diminish some of the nutrients your body can use.

Tip #2: Polyphenols make a great addition to your meals. Polyphenols are antioxidants found in foods such as grapes, dark chocolate, and berries. Red Wine also contains polyphenols, so having a glass at dinner can boost your nitric oxide production.

Tip #3: Add unsaturated oils to the mix. This means olive oil, avocado oil, and other oils containing healthy fats. Eating more fish or supplementing fish oil is recommended as well.

Tip #4: Less is more. The less prepping and cooking required, the more intact the nutrients needed for nitric oxide production stay. Limit the amount of boiling for baking in your meals containing vegetables and fruits.

Tip #5: Stay away from NO-depleting foods. Processed foods, fried foods, salty foods, sugar, and saturated fats all create oxidative stress in the body. These create free radicals that lead to inflammation and other problems. Limit your consumption of these foods as well as beer and liquors to maximize your nitric oxide production.

 

What if I want to look into supplements?

The above tips are a great way to boost nitric oxide via diet. However, I understand many people will still want to look into supplements for convenience when whole foods are harder to come by. When this happens, making sure to choose a high-quality supplement is paramount. You must also understand that nitric oxide supplements do not contain NO itself, as it is a gaseous molecule. Nitric oxide supplements contain precursors to NO such as nitrates, L-arginine, and L-citrulline in various quantities for the body to use to produce NO.

 

 

The Takeaway

Whether you look to boost nitric oxide via diet or supplementation, now you have the knowledge needed to make an informed decision that will improve your overall health and wellness for years to come! Bookmark this article for future use, and make sure to share this new knowledge with your friends and loved ones so they can reap the same benefits as you!