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!

 

Nitric oxide (NO) is truly a miracle molecule. This gaseous molecule is produced by the body and signals for blood vessels to relax and expand. However, the production of nitric oxide decreases as we age. This decrease in NO production gives rise to endothelial dysfunction. This in turn leads to other health problems such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, stroke, and more. If we want to reduce this cardiovascular risk, we have to keep our nitric oxide production as high as possible.

I am aware not everyone reading this is an expert in cardiovascular health, so I will try to break down what you need to know about the endothelium in order to help you understand just how important nitric oxide is for your overall health and wellness.

 

What is the endothelium and what does it have to do with cardiovascular risk?

Okay, let’s start with the basics. The endothelium is the inner lining of your blood vessels. The endothelium plays an essential role in regulating blood flow. It is here that nitric oxide comes into play. NO is produced in the lining muscles. When this happens, NO begins its most important role: vasodilation. This means NO signals for the blood vessels to widen and expand. This dilating of the blood vessels allows greater blood flow to occur. This blood flow affects the health of muscles, the brain, and the heart. As we age, this production decreases. By the time you are 40, you will only be producing half of the NO you could produce at 25.

This decrease in NO production leads to endothelial dysfunction. This means the blood vessels are not able to dilate and constrict optimally. As a result, blood flow becomes less efficient. This inability to dilate and constrict properly is known as arterial stiffness. Arterial stiffness contributes to hypertension, plaque buildup in the arteries, inflammation, and other factors that increase cardiovascular risk. The lack of NO production can also lead to blood clotting. These blood clots can block arteries just like plaque and lead to an increased risk of stroke and heart attacks.

 

Endothelial dysfunction: Fighting Back

Roughly one-third of people suffer from some form of endothelial dysfunction, even if they are unaware. Furthermore, lifestyle choices and genetic predispositions can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease as well. People who smoke, the elderly, diabetics, and those with high cholesterol and high blood pressure are all at an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

However, what we can do to combat this cardiovascular risk from endothelial dysfunction is increase our nitric oxide production. NO is notorious for being used up quickly in the body, so we must give the body a constant supply of ingredients so it can continue to produce NO.

 

Nitric oxide precursors to reduce cardiovascular risk

Any NO boosting food or supplement out there is not comprised of NO itself. Since NO is a gas, we must ingest building blocks the body can convert into nitric oxide. Also, since NO has such a short half-life, we must be vigilant in NO precursor consumption since it is metabolized so rapidly. Blood vessels need to make NO to function properly, and they do so using three ingredients: L-arginine, L-citrulline, and dietary nitrates.

 

How L-arginine helps

One of the three precursor compounds the body uses to produce nitric oxide is the amino acid L-arginine. L-arginine is used to build protein and stimulates the release of insulin in the body. The body uses L-arginine to produce nitric oxide when it is consumed. You can find L-arginine in foods such as red meat, dairy, eggs, lentils, and chickpeas. Your body does naturally produce some L-arginine on its own, but the amount needed to produce nitric oxide is best gotten from your diet or a supplement.

L-arginine has been well-studied and shown to have potential benefits such as:

 

• reducing chest pain
• speeding up wound healing
• building muscle
• supporting heart health
• improving male fertility
• lowering blood pressure
• reducing digestive system inflammation
• treating arterial disease
• improving exercise performance

These are not all the benefits that L-arginine provides, but it’s enough for you to see why most NO supplements will include a heavy portion of it in the ingredients. The biggest benefit of L-arginine is it supports blood flow. Studies show L-arginine improves blood flow when supplemented, reducing cardiovascular risk.

 

How L-citrulline helps

This amino acid is nonessential, meaning we do produce it in our body, but usually in varying amounts. Unlike other amino acids, L-citrulline is not used to build protein. The biggest role L-citrulline has is in the urea cycle. L-citrulline helps rid the body of harmful compounds such as ammonia. L-citrulline can be found in watermelon, squash, and cucumbers.

The body uses L-citrulline to produce L-arginine, which in turn is converted into nitric oxide. Because of this, L-citrulline has health benefits such as:

 

• promotes vasodilation
• lowers blood pressure
• increases GH hormone post-workout
• promotes sexual health in men

L-citrulline works to improve blood flow alongside L-arginine so many nitric oxide boosters contain various quantities of both amino acids. The ratio is different in most of these supplements, but the best ratio of L-arginine to L-citrulline for optimal nitric oxide absorption and production is 2:1. This ratio will help you reduce cardiovascular risk.

 

How nitrates help

For those who might be confused, let’s clarify the stance that should be taken on nitrates. Nitrates found in processed meats are usually sodium nitrate, which is an additive used to preserve the food. These kinds of nitrates are bad for you. However, the nitrates found in leafy greens and root plants are good for you. So it all comes down to the source of the nitrates. With that out of the way, we can continue.

Nitrates are naturally occurring compounds found in soil. Because of this, nitrates become infused into the plants we eat. If you want to boost your nitric oxide production via diet, nitrates are the most abundant NO precursor available. You can find nitrates in foods such as kale, arugula, beets, lettuce, mustard greens, and more.

Some of the benefits of dietary nitrates include:

 

• help kill bacteria
• reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease
• reduces the risk of heart disease
• lowers the risk of stroke
• lowers the risk of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s
• can improve exercise endurance

Just a handful of raw greens a day can drastically boost your nitric oxide production potential, so should not be ignored as a contributor to reducing cardiovascular risk.

 

Other ways to reduce cardiovascular risk

Boosting your NO production via diet or supplements is just one of the many things you can do to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Let’s Look at some other ways you can reduce the risk. Some of these will also boost NO production, and some of these are just lifestyle changes to make you healthier overall.

 

Lifestyle Changes

Some of the lifestyle changes you can implement to reduce cardiovascular risk include:

 

Not Smoking.

Not using tobacco in any form is one of the best things you can do for your overall health. Tobacco use is a hard habit to break once you start. With this in mind, the best option is to not start at all. Tobacco use can make you sick, make you slower, and decrease your lifespan. If you are unable to quit, simply reducing the amount you smoke can do wonders for your long-term health. The nicotine in tobacco products is incredibly addictive, so quitting is difficult. However, reducing excessive smoking is linked to a reduced risk of heart disease.

 

Stay at a healthy weight.

Carrying too many extra pounds is detrimental to your long-term health. Being overweight puts you at an increased risk of developing diabetes and becoming obese. Furthermore, being overweight puts you at an increased risk of heart disease, hypertension, plaque buildup, and more. Keep your diet and lifestyle choices in check to avoid becoming overweight. Finding a healthy weight range relative to your height is a great start. The most commonly used indicator of weight risk is BMI.

 

Exercise regularly.

This lifestyle change can do much to offset the weight risk listed above. Keeping up a regular exercise routine is crucial for offsetting cardiovascular risk. Remember when we said nitric oxide production decreases as we get older? Well, activity level also tends to decrease as we get older. Exercise happens to be able to spark NO production. So if you want to both keep off weight gain and improve nitric oxide production, exercise more. If you don’t know where to begin, try a brisk 20-30 minute walk 5-6 days a week as a starting point. A sedentary lifestyle increases the risk of disease, so combat it by being more active.

There are other habits you can do that boost nitric oxide and reduce cardiovascular risk, but these are a great starting point for most people.

 

The Takeaway

Getting older is something none of us can stop. It is unfortunate that with age comes an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, arterial problems, endothelial dysfunction, and other health complications. Because of these risks, it is our responsibility to do all we can to fight these risks. An active lifestyle, making good habit choices, and keeping nitric oxide production as high as possible are all paramount for offsetting these risks as we age. Do your heart and arteries a favor and bookmark this article for future use so you never forget what to do to stay healthy as you get older.

 

 

Everyone wants to move better, feel better, and look better. We meet these goals by improving our quality of sleep, optimizing our fitness routines, and being mindful of the foods we eat. However, as we get older we have to pay more attention to these habits to avoid heart problems, blood circulation issues, and more. The foods we eat are essential to living a healthy life. An important nutrient most people easily overlook is nitrates. Yes, these appear in processed meats and other less than ideal food choices, but naturally occurring nitrates can do wonderful things for your health. Specifically, nitrates are bountiful in leafy greens. We will look at what the nitrates in leafy greens can do for you and what nitrates have to do with nitric oxide: another molecule essential for your health.

 

What is nitric oxide?

Nitric oxide (NO) is a molecule responsible for aiding in various processes within the body such as blood circulation, blood pressure management, digestion, cognitive function, etc. When nitric oxide is produced, a process called vasodilation occurs. During vasodilation, NO relaxes and dilates the blood vessels. This allows for improved blood flow and lower blood pressure. For older individuals or those suffering from heart-related health problems, NO was a miracle molecule. Over time, NO has become a heavily researched molecule in the medical and fitness fields.

 

How is nitric oxide produced?

NO is a gas that disseminates very fast once produced. Because of this, NO can rapidly penetrate cell membranes and promote optimal cellular function. Our bodies produce NO in 3 areas:

 

• cells located in the endothelium of our blood vessels
• oral bacteria in our mouths
• bacteria on our skin when exposed to sunlight

These are not the same thing as the pathways our body uses to produce NO, we are just talking about the locations where NO production occurs. To get a better understanding of how important NO is for us, let’s briefly touch on some of the benefits.

 

Improves exercise performance

NO is linked to improved exercise performance in endurance athletes such as runners and cyclists. Improved exercise tolerance is a contributing factor in athletes supplementing with NO boosters or other NO precursor supplements to enhance their performance and recovery.

 

Reduces muscle soreness

NO improves not just your exercise endurance, but also your recovery time. According to studies conducted, NO reduces muscle soreness experienced post-workout. Research shows NO may reduce DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) following intense training.

 

Improves sexual health

Since NO improves blood circulation and improves the delivery of oxygen and nutrients, NO also potentially improves erectile dysfunction symptoms in men. There is more research needed here, but there is some correlation between NO’s vasodilation properties and improving the muscle relaxation needed for an erection to occur.

 

Lowers blood pressure

NO can help lower blood pressure thanks to vasodilation. Since blood vessels widen to allow more blood flow, this process also lowers blood pressure. Hypertension is difficult for many to track and can lead to various other heart problems. Hypertension can even lead to a heart attack or stroke if left unchecked. Increasing nitric oxide is an easy way to alleviate these issues.

This is far from exhaustive as far as NO benefits go. However, these are some of the commonly discussed benefits of NO. So how do we go about getting more of this in our systems to experience these benefits?

 

How do we improve nitric oxide levels?

There are many things we can do to boost our nitric oxide levels. We can exercise more, sleep better, spend more time in the sun, and more. However, for today we will focus on food to improve our NO levels. When it comes to eating foods to boost our NO levels, we look at three main ingredients in these foods: L-arginine, L-citrulline, and nitrates. L-arginine and L-citrulline are both amino acids that are found in many fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. Nitrates are natural chemicals found in soil and various foods. Nitrates are also used in processed foods as a preservative. While all three are found in healthy foods to boost NO levels, nitrates are the focus here.

 

Where are nitrates found?

Nitrates are found in various foods such as leafy greens, roots, and root plants. Rather than list every food you can find naturally occurring nitrates, I will list off several leafy greens containing high amounts of nitrates the body uses to produce nitric oxide.

 

Leafy greens high in nitrates

A plethora of vegetables contains high levels of nitrates your body can convert into nitric oxide. However, with a few exceptions, leafy greens contain the highest concentrations of nitrates. This list is not in any specific order, but rather just contains the leafy greens with the highest concentrations of nitrates. You can choose the best ones for you to add to your diet if your goal is to increase your NO levels.

 

1. Arugula

This leafy green many consider packing the most punch in terms of nitrate concentrations. Arugula is a popular leafy green in Italian foods. You can eat arugula raw or cooked in various recipes. Arugula is a member of the cabbage and mustard green family, so it has a peppery taste to it. According to studies, arugula has a nitrate concentration of about 480mg per 100g.

 

2. Celery

This leafy green is a common low-calorie snack for many looking to lose weight. Celery is part of the same family as carrots and parsley. Most people eat the stalk of the celery, known for packing a hydrating crunch. Apart from its fiber content, celery has a high concentration of nitrates, coming in at about 250mg per 100g.

 

3. Cress

This leafy green comes packed with a peppery flavor since it is part of the cabbage family. Cress is low in calories and contains essential nutrients like vitamins A and C. While cress is associated with benefits such as immune system support, what we care about here is the nitrate concentration. Cress contains about 250mg per 100g, making it an excellent choice to boost nitric oxide levels.

 

4. Lettuce

Lettuce is one of the most widely consumed leafy greens in the world. This vegetable is low in calories and a good source of iron. Furthermore, lettuce is a good source of fiber and vitamin C. Lettuce also contains a high concentration of nitrate, coming in at around 200mg per 100g. Add this salad staple to your diet if you’ve been slacking on your leafy greens and let those nitric oxide levels soar.

 

5. Spinach

For anyone looking to eat healthier, adding spinach to their diet is a typical go-to move. Spinach is a staple leafy green for most because of its nutrient profile. Spinach is a great source of vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, folate, and potassium. To make it even more appealing for us, spinach contains over 250mg per 100g of nitrate. Adding this leafy green to your salads is a must to boost those NO levels.

 

6. Beet Greens

When it comes to a leafy green, chances are beet greens were not on your list. Many people just jump to the beetroot for nitric oxide boosting nitrates, and this is completely acceptable. However, the greens on top offer us plenty of health benefits as well. Beet greens contain high levels of antioxidants and phytonutrients. Furthermore, beet greens contain around 110mg per 100g of nitrate. Although this may not be as high as beetroots or other leafy greens, it is still plenty for boosting NO levels. So the next time you go to get beets from your grocery store or local farmer’s market, be sure not to discard the beet greens.

 

7. Chinese Cabbage

Chinese cabbage can be consumed raw, stewed, or mixed into a slaw. This cabbage is considered to be less pungent than other cabbages and has a sweeter taste. Chinese cabbage is low in calories and is a good source of vitamins, iron, calcium, and antioxidants. Chinese cabbage also contains around 161mg per 100g of nitrate. This makes it great for boosting NO levels in our bodies. So if you use Chinese cabbage as a lettuce wrap, do so with confidence knowing you’re making a good choice.

 

8. Bok Choy

Bok choy is technically a type of Chinese cabbage but has a different texture than other cabbages. This type of leafy green has a smaller bulbous bottom and has a mustard green-like cluster formation on its top. Bok choy is a good source of vitamin C and vitamin K. Furthermore, bok choy contains between 103-309mg per 100g of nitrates. If you are unfamiliar with bok choy, it’s worth looking into for boosting NO levels.

 

9. Swiss Chard

This leafy green has a bitter flavor when eaten raw, but becomes milder when cooked. Swiss chard is a great source of vitamin C, vitamin K, magnesium, and other antioxidants. Although you will reap more benefits from this plant by consuming it raw, it still contains roughly between 147-270mg per 100g of nitrates. This makes Swiss chard a solid choice for boosting nitric oxide levels.

 

10. Mustard Greens

Greens are a vegetable most southern folks will be accustomed to. People tend to enjoy these simmered, steamed, or sautéed. However, mustard greens can be eaten raw as well. Mustard greens have a slightly peppery and bitter taste but do become milder when cooked. These greens are a great source of vitamin B1 and B3. Furthermore, this leafy green contains up to 116mg per 100g of nitrates, making it good for boosting NO levels.

 

Eat those leafy greens for a nitric oxide boost

Keep in mind that this list is not exhaustive. There are of course plenty of other leafy greens that contain naturally occurring nitrates your body can use to produce nitric oxide. All you need to know is that these green listed carry the most bang for your buck and have many other health benefits associated with them as well. Eat your greens and reap the benefits!

 

 

Remember as a kid when you were told to eat your vegetables whether you liked them or not? Hopefully, I was not the only person who had to force-feed myself broccoli while my parents watched to make sure I ate them all. It would not be until I became an adult that I appreciated all the nights of being forced to eat my veggies. Many vegetables contain amino acids and dietary nitrates. These compounds are the building blocks of a molecule called nitric oxide (NO). As more research is conducted on nitric oxide, it is clear that nutrition is the most effective way to influence your nitric oxide production. In this article, we will go over why nitric oxide is essential for your health and outline the best vegetables to spur your nitric oxide production.

 

Nitric Oxide: Making Blood Flow Great Again

Before we get to the vegetables, let’s go over the basics of NO. Nitric oxide is one of the most important molecules your body naturally produces. It is vital to your health and a plethora of physiological functions. It impacts many essential processes that keep you alive and well. Most of the health benefits associated with nitric oxide come from the process of vasodilation. Vasodilation is the king of nitric oxide benefits. NO achieves vasodilation by helping the muscles within the inner lining of blood vessels widen and relax. As this happens, your blood is able to flow more freely. Better blood flow allows for the optimized delivery of oxygen and nutrients to be distributed throughout the body.

Since NO helps dilate blood vessels, it promotes healthy blood flow. Healthy blood flow influences health benefits such as lower blood pressure, improved brain health, and improved stamina. Unfortunately, NO levels begin to decline after age 40. Your nitric oxide production is at its peak in your twenties, but by the time you hit 50, it can be down by as much as 50%. The inability to produce enough NO leads to an increased risk for health problems such as hypertension, diabetes, or stroke.

One of the best ways to spur nitric oxide production is by consuming the right vegetables.

 

How do vegetables spur nitric oxide production?

The best nitric oxide foods to consume are ones that contain dietary nitrates, L-arginine, or L-citrulline. These nutrients are found in a variety of foods, but predominantly in fruits and vegetables. Your body uses these nutrients to produce nitric oxide. As a quick disclaimer, the dietary nitrates found in plants are converted differently in the body than the nitrates found in processed meats. When we eat vegetables, one or more of these nutrients gets converted in the body into nitric oxide. Since NO is a gas, we do not consume it directly. Each of these nutrients gets converted into NO via a chemical pathway. The process will look different for each nutrient, but the end result is the same:

 

1. Eat a vegetable.
2. Vegetable gets digested.
3. Nutrients contained within vegetables are converted into NO.

This is very simplified but you get the point.

 

Nitric Oxide Health Benefits

We briefly touched on a few benefits earlier, but I would like to talk about a few more health benefits associated with nitric oxide. There have been tens of thousands of studies done on nitric oxide. What researchers have found is that NO provides a wide range of health benefits. These benefits include:

 

• Increased blood flow
• Lowers blood pressure
• Heightens energy levels
• Improves exercise performance
• Potentially improves erectile dysfunction
• Supports immune system function
• Supports cognitive function

Nitric oxide helps with much more than listed here, but this list gives you a general idea of how essential it is to eat your vegetables and spur nitric oxide production.

 

Vegetables that will stimulate nitric oxide production

For those who are nervous about supplements and do not want to change too much of their lifestyle, there are several foods you can incorporate into your diet to start boosting your NO production. I have compiled a short list of some of the most popular choices for vegetables that will stimulate nitric oxide production.

 

1. Arugula

This leafy green has one of the highest concentrations of dietary nitrates in a plant – roughly 480mg per 100g. If you are a salad eater, consider adding this peppery green to your next meal.

 

2. Spinach

This leafy green is a popular and commonly eaten plant among health enthusiasts. This plant contains well over 250mg per 100g nitrates per serving, making it great for stimulating your NO production. Once again, if you like salads, this green is a great addition. You can even eat a couple of handfuls raw to reap some of the health benefits.

 

3. Beets

According to many sources, beets are the best single source of nitrates in the plant kingdom. Beetroot can be blended into smoothies, chopped up and added to salads, or steamed and added as a side dish to other meals. Beet juice is popular in the fitness industry as a pre-workout supplement.

 

4. Garlic

Garlic is often a component in cooking for its flavor profile. However, garlic is also capable of boosting NO production. Garlic boosts NO production by activating the nitric oxide synthase enzyme that aids in the conversion of nitric oxide from L-arginine. Because of this, garlic is also attributed to lowering blood pressure. Despite the scent of garlic being on the pungent side, it is a vegetable that is great for your health.

 

5. Carrots

Here is one vegetable that many people like to snack on. The good news is that carrots can boost NO production via nitrates. Carrots are great steamed, eaten raw, boiled in a stew, etc. Eating carrots has other health benefits as well, but be aware that they contain roughly 150mg per 100g or more of dietary nitrates.

 

6. Broccoli

Growing up, broccoli was the bane of my existence. I spent many nights fighting with my parents because I did not want to eat those stupid mini trees! Having grown up, I am thankful they made me eat them. Not only does broccoli come packed with vitamins and antioxidants your body needs, but it has some dietary nitrates your body can use to produce nitric oxide. While broccoli does not contain as high of a concentration compared to other greens, it is still sufficient when consumed on a regular basis. Furthermore, broccoli is one of those vegetables that can be prepared in various ways. Broccoli is great as a raw snack or cooked as part of a meal.

 

7. Spirulina

This vegetable is actually a type of algae that grows in the sea. Spirulina is often a component of smoothies or daily greens supplement powders. Why this alga is important to us is the nitric oxide precursor L-arginine. This is an amino acid the body uses to produce nitric oxide. One cup of spirulina contains about 4.6 grams of L-arginine, which is plenty to stimulate nitric oxide production. So whether you eat spirulina in its algae form, as a powder/capsule, or in a mix of some sort, do so with the knowledge you are boosting your NO production.

 

8. Cucumbers

This vegetable is commonly found in a salad. Cucumbers also make a great standalone snack. We are interested in cucumbers because of their L-citrulline content. L-citrulline is an amino acid the body uses by converting it into L-arginine. Then, L-arginine is converted into nitric oxide. Cucumbers contain around 0.146mg per 1g of L-citrulline. Cucumbers are low-calorie and hydrating. This makes cucumbers an ideal snack for those being calorie conscious but still looking to boost NO production.

 

9. Squash

Most types of squash contain L-citrulline, so work just like cucumbers as a precursor for nitric oxide production. These vegetables are technically fruits, but very few people would look at squash and call it a fruit. Therefore, we will lump it in with the rest of the vegetables.

 

10. Eggplant

Here is another vegetable with a decent nitrate concentration. Rounding out our list is eggplant. Packing a nitrate concentration between 25-42 mg per 100g serving, consuming eggplant is a great way to boost your NO production. This vegetable is usually the main dish rather than a side, but there are many ways to consume it. If you’re looking for a healthy meal that will improve your blood flow and more, eggplant is a solid choice.

 

The Bottom Line

There are many things we can do to boost our nitric oxide production. We can exercise more, spend more time outside in the sun, get more sleep, and so much more. However, the easiest thing we can do is add a couple of things to our meals in order to stay healthy and keep those NO levels optimal. As we age, nitric oxide levels will decline. Furthermore, NO is a gas that dissipates rapidly in the body, so it must be replenished just as rapidly.

There are plenty of other vegetables and other foods that could have been added to this list, but I chose to only add the most popular choices for most people on this list. Some honorable mentions that did not make the cut are kale, chard, bok choy, lettuce, and cabbage. Pick a couple of these vegetables that you can add easily to your diet and start enhancing your nitric oxide levels today!

 

 

Nitric oxide (NO) is a key molecule produced naturally in the body. Nitric oxide is involved in many important body functions and is important for many aspects of your health. The most important function of nitric oxide is vasodilation. Vasodilation serves as the foundation of many of the health benefits associated with nitric oxide. However, many bad habits in our day-to-day lives interfere with all the good work high nitric oxide levels do for us.

 

What Is Nitric Oxide?

Nitric oxide is a neurotransmitter responsible for a plethora of body functions and cellular processes. Nitric oxide is vital for our overall health and quality of life. This is because nitric oxide allows blood, oxygen, and nutrients to be delivered throughout the body efficiently. Nitric oxide is also responsible for functions such as regulating blood pressure, supporting the immune system, supporting brain health, and supporting intracellular communication.

If nitric oxide levels are not adequate, a host of health problems can arise. Some of these problems include inflammation, cardiovascular problems, and obesity to name just a few. Nitric oxide levels naturally decline with age, but our lifestyle has an effect on NO levels too. Engaging in bad habits, both known and unknown will annihilate your nitric oxide levels.

 

Bad Habits To Stop Doing Now

Some of these bad habits are certainly worse when taken at face value than others. With this in mind, a bad habit here is referring specifically to the context of destroying nitric oxide levels. Some of these bad habits will be blatantly unhealthy, and others not so much. We are here to explore bad habits that destroy nitric oxide levels. Other health problems may come up but the primary goal is education for improving NO. With that out of the way, let’s explore bad habits that annihilate your nitric oxide levels.

 

1. Stressing Yourself Out Is A Bad Habit

A little bit of stress can be a good thing. Stress has a purpose in our lives. The stress response is an evolutionary trait that serves to keep us alert and alive. Modern humans are no longer using the stress response to stay alive in the wilderness, but it still serves a purpose. Stress is beneficial because it can give you a boost of energy and focus. Stress also serves as a motivator when you are under a time crunch. Moderate doses of stress infrequently are good for you. However, modern humans have a tendency to stress too much, and this is a bad habit that inhibits nitric oxide levels. It is when stress becomes chronic and enduring that problems arise.

 

Why Stress Is A Bad Habit That Annihilates Nitric Oxide Levels

Chronic stress leads to the engagement of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), or your Fight or Flight Response. When this kicks in, your body releases a flood of hormones and chemicals designed to keep you alive. Adrenaline and cortisol are the chemicals most associated with stress. Adrenaline increases your heart rate, elevates your blood pressure, and gives you a surge of energy. Cortisol increases glucose levels in the bloodstream, increases glucose use in the brain, and increases the body’s overall glucose metabolism.

The effects of these chemicals in moderation are improved reaction time, more energy, and a higher pain threshold. When these chemicals become chronically available, you notice effects such as weight gain, lower nitric oxide levels, high blood pressure, fatigue, and more.

While there are things you cannot control in your life that create stress, some stress is within your control. You can take measures to reduce the stress you can control to decrease the SNS response in your body. With nitric oxide, eating a NO booster-rich diet and supplementing NO boosters can negate some of the damage from chronic stress on your nitric oxide levels.

 

2. Anxiety

This bad habit is similar to stress but comes about in various ways. Anxiety is an emotion first and foremost. Anxiety is a broad term that can be defined in various ways depending on who you ask. For our purposes, I will make it simple. Simply put, anxiety is a feeling of fear, dread, and general unease. Anxiety disorders are conditions brought about due to anxiety becoming chronic. With anxiety disorders, the feeling of anxiety is persistent and has long duration periods.

Anxiety can alter how you think and behave. It is because of this that anxiety manifests itself similar to stress. Symptoms of anxiety include:

 

• feeling “on edge”
• difficulty concentrating
• sleep problems
• persistent worry
• feeling tired
• increased heart rate
• sweating
• hyperventilation

 

Why Anxiety Is a Bad Habit That Annihilates Nitric Oxide Levels

There is a lot of carry-over from stress to anxiety, but there is a distinction. Stress is usually accompanied by a stressor. There is some sort of trigger that creates the stress response. Anxiety can occur without the presence of a stressor. This makes anxiety more difficult to deal with. However, just like stress, there are aspects of anxiety within our control. Some coping mechanisms to deal with anxiety that happens to increase nitric oxide levels are:

 

• exercise
• engaging in nose breathing and stress management techniques
• eating healthy foods
• cutting out vices such as smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol

Since Anxiety Disorders are one of the most common mental health disorders in the US, it is a prevalent cause of low NO. Furthermore, medications given to alleviate anxiety can also hinder NO production. Be mindful of anxiety so you can avoid unnecessary damage to your NO production.

 

3. Sedentary Lifestyle

One of the worst things you can do for your overall health is to lead a sedentary lifestyle. Being inactive gives rise to a plethora of health problems. However, many of those health problems are also brought on by low nitric oxide levels. When you don’t exercise regularly, your body will have more difficulty producing nitric oxide. This leads to health problems that further reduce NO production, such as diabetes, obesity, and heart problems. NO production helps improve exercise performance, increase energy and stamina, improve exercise recovery, and increase endurance. This means that if you start being more active, the NO produced will help you stay active longer.

This is a bad habit that we have plenty of control over. Most of us can choose to work out for a few minutes each day, go for a walk in our spare time, or do something active. Even some injuries can be worked around. The point here is that a sedentary lifestyle is one of the most easily corrected bad habits we can manipulate to improve our nitric oxide levels. The solution here is simple: just get up and move more. If you do not have time to do dedicated workouts, some suggestions include:

 

• walk your pet more often/for longer if you have one
• take the stairs when you can
• park further from the door
• take a walk during your lunch break
• create a desk exercise routine

There are plenty of other creative ways to add more movement to your day, but this is a good starting point to urn this bad habit into a non-issue.

 

4. Poor Sleep Routine

You probably did not think your sleep affects your nitric oxide levels, but it can. Here we are talking about the things you do prior to going to bed that affect the quality of sleep you get. Sometimes you cannot control your sleep, but steps can be taken. Sleep has been found in some studies to be impacted by nitric oxide levels. Low NO levels have been linked to insomnia, poor recovery sleep, and other sleep problems.

With this in mind, what can we do to sleep better? We can reduce some of our bad habits prior to bed such as excessive screen time, eating right before bed, being too active, etc. Measures we can take to improve our sleep are:

 

• choose a consistent bedtime and stick to it as best you can
• remove screens from your bedroom to avoid use before bed
• avoid caffeine and large meals too close to bed
• limit blue light exposure within a couple of hours of bedtime or invest in a pair of blue light glasses if blue light limiting is improbable for you
• exercise during the day (directly increases NO production)
• engage in nose breathing exercises before bed (directly increases NO production)

 

5. Poor Diet

This is another bad habit that we can easily control. There are many foods we can consume that are high in precursors needed to prompt nitric oxide production in the body. Today’s society pushes fast and convenient food options. Unfortunately, most of these are terrible for your overall health. For example, many types of processed meat such as bacon, pepperoni, and salami contain bad nitrates that can cause diseases such as obesity and cancer.

Excessive consumption of processed foods can even damage the endothelial cells that produce nitric oxide, leading to dropped nitric oxide levels. What do we do to combat this bad habit and increase our nitric oxide levels? Here are a few suggestions.

 

• eat more foods such as red meat, fish, nuts, and seeds that contain high levels of the amino acid L-arginine (precursor to NO)
• eat more foods such as watermelon, pumpkin seeds, chickpeas, and cucumbers that contain high levels of the amino acid L-citrulline (precursor to NO)
• eat foods such as beetroots, kale, spinach, and arugula that contain high levels of healthy nitrates (sparks NO production)

 

 

Being Mindful Of The Bad Habits That Annihilate Nitric Oxide Levels

Simply put, some bad habits are detrimental to our NO production. This list is far from exhaustive, but some of those bad habits are poor sleep routines, being inactive, poor diet choices, and chronic stress. Adding more exercise, adding healthy food choices, and managing stress can all counteract these bad habits and improve nitric oxide levels.

It is important you are mindful of these bad habits, and avoid them whenever possible to ensure optimal nitric oxide levels and optimal overall health.

 

Nitric Oxide (NO) is a molecule produced by nearly every cell in the human body. It is vital to numerous functions such as circulation, digestion, and energy production. NO is also responsible for intracellular communication, which is essential for cellular processes to be successful. A commonly accepted fact is that nitric oxide production naturally declines as we get older. Furthermore, many people are still unfamiliar with all the health benefits associated with NO. So if you are reading this, you’re off to a good start! We want to be mindful of nitric oxide deficiency so we can implement measures to bring them back up as needed. Plenty of research shows that nitric oxide deficiency is linked to numerous health problems. Therefore, you need to know how to combat this deficiency when it occurs.

 

What Is NO Exactly?

Nitric oxide is a gas produced in blood vessel linings. Nitric oxide is a vasodilator, meaning it relaxes and widens the blood vessels. This allows more oxygen and nutrients to be delivered more efficiently throughout the body. This vasodilation also lowers your blood pressure, decreasing the risk of cardiovascular issues, hypertension, and heart disease. NO is so important to the body because it serves a role in so many functions.

Nitric oxide levels affect muscle soreness, digestion, cognitive health, vision, sexual health, and help cells communicate with one another. Because it is so vital to so many body functions, things can go wrong rapidly when nitric oxide levels get too low.

 

Causes of Nitric Oxide Deficiency

Like I already said, age causes the decline of nitric oxide production naturally. However, other factors can speed up nitric oxide deficiency as well. Some of these other factors are:

 

• A sub-optimal diet with low amounts of nitrates and other nitric oxide precursors.
• Vices such as excessive smoking.
• A sedentary lifestyle.
• Consumption of foods and medications that inhibit NO production.
• The use of items such as mouthwash and hand washes that kill bacteria that aid in nitric oxide production.

As nitric oxide deficiency becomes more apparent, health problems will be more noticeable. Heart disease and other cardiovascular problems can begin as NO production decreases. Blood flow regulation is immensely important for our bodies to function optimally, so NO is vital to our health.

 

Nitric Oxide Deficiency Symptoms To Look For

Now that we have a small understanding of what we have to lose when NO production falls, let’s look at some of the symptoms associated with low nitric oxide levels so we can know when to take action.

 

1. Frequent Stress

In today’s world, stress is inevitable to a degree. The problem comes when it occurs too frequently and we do nothing to combat it. As stress sets in, you may notice an elevated heart rate, constricted blood vessels, mood swings, low energy, changes in appetite, and more. This chronic stress also leads to the activation of your sympathetic nervous system, or your Fight, Flight, or Freeze Response. When this occurs, your body releases a cocktail of hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline. Prolonged durations in this state are not good for the body.

While many factors can contribute to chronic stress, a little-known factor is nitric oxide deficiency. So when stress occurs, something we can control is how we respond. Here are a few activities you can do when stressed that will boost your nitric oxide levels:

 

• Eating some foods rich in NO boosters like nitrates, L-arginine, and L-citrulline
• Exercising
• Practicing nose breathing techniques
• Meditation

 

2. Poor Sleep

This problem is not fully researched yet, but there was a 2006 study that linked nitric oxide as a sleep facilitator. Reduced NO levels were found to impact insomnia and other sleep problems. Furthermore, recovery sleep was also seen to be reduced when NO levels were low. While more research is needed, there is evidence showing NO production is linked to sleep problems.

With this in mind, a few things we can do to boost our NO levels before bed:

 

• Taking an NO booster supplement before bed
• Nose breathing and other deep breathing exercises before bed

 

3. Vision Problems

Struggling to see things too close or too far away? A nitric oxide deficiency might be to blame. It should be stated that vision problems do not immediately mean you have a NO deficiency. Vision does naturally decline as we age so if you are older, there could be something else at work. However, there is no harm in boosting your NO levels if you are experiencing vision problems as a precaution.

Nitric oxide can help vision problems because NO helps regulate intraocular pressure. NO does this by helping regulate the flow of eye fluid. It is this flow of eye fluid that affects the intraocular pressure. A nitric oxide deficiency can make this eye flow less effective. This ineffectiveness can lead to developing poor vision and other eye problems. Consuming a nitrate or other NO precursor-rich diet as well as finding a high-quality NO boosting supplement can help keep your intraocular pressure in check.

 

4. Memory Loss

Do you frequently misplace your keys and cannot remember where you last had them? Constantly forgetting items on that to-do list you’ve looked at a billion times? We are all a little forgetful at times, but when memory loss becomes more frequent and severe, a nitric oxide deficiency might have something to do with it. Nitric oxide deficiency is linked to cognitive problems such as dementia, Alzheimer’s, and other neurodegenerative diseases. Yes, memory can dull with age, but if you or those close to you notice more memory loss, it will not hurt to boost your NO levels to be safe.

 

5. Lower Endurance and Stamina

Some of the health benefits associated with nitric oxide include improved exercise performance and increased stamina and endurance. With this in mind, if you are noticing a drop in endurance, it could be a nitric oxide deficiency. Studies link NO levels to exercise stamina. Lower NO has been linked to getting winded during a workout as well as increasing recovery time post-workout. While stress and other factors are certainly at play, you would do well to increase nitric oxide levels via diet and supplementation.

 

6. Fatigue and Low Energy

Have you ever had a day where you woke up after a solid 7-8 hours of sleep, and you still feel tired? You got up, got dressed, started moving around, got your cup of coffee, and still feel like you have no energy to get through the day? Don’t fret, it happens to the best of us. Low energy feels like you’re constantly sleepy or experiencing something similar to jet lag. Turns out, that low energy is linked to a nitric oxide deficiency.

As we age, we become more prone to fatigue, so it is important that we boost our nitric oxide levels when we experience fatigue and low energy just in case. Diet, exercise, and supplementation can also help improve energy levels.

 

7. Running Hotter Than Normal

Are you feeling a little hot? It could be a fever, or it could be your nitric oxide levels. When your nitric oxide levels are too low, you can experience a rise in your body’s baseline temperature. This is because when NO is low, the NO synthase inhibition present in the central nervous system causes your body temperature to rise. The intensity of this rise and fall in temperature from fluctuating nitric oxide levels will vary from person to person and the effects will be felt to varying degrees. So if you experience any feelings of being warmer than you think you should be, check your temp and then consume some nitric oxide boosters.

 

8. Stiffness

Have you noticed yourself feeling achy and stiff more often than usual despite no changes in your daily activity? If so, it could be a sign of low nitric oxide. A little soreness after a tough workout can be normal, but excessive soreness even days after a workout, or general lack of mobility and excessive body aches can be due to low NO. A healthy and functional body should rarely ache. To combat this, we want to improve blood flow so free radicals and lactic acid can be pushed out while oxygen and nutrients get pushed in.

Nitric oxide is a vasodilator, meaning it excels at widening blood vessels and enhancing blood flow efficiency. If you are noticing decreased movement capacity outside of an injury or explanation and excessive aches and pains, consider amping up your NO levels with a nitric oxide boosting meal or supplement to get those muscles some help.

 

Final Thoughts on Nitric Oxide Deficiency

Most of these nitric oxide deficiency symptoms are easy to spot and deal with. However, if you are uneducated on what nitric oxide is and how it affects the body, you might not even realize you are deficient in it. Low NO levels are something you can easily do something about on your own quickly. Making lifestyle changes through diet and exercise and engaging in NO boosting activities such as nose breathing will all help improve the symptoms of low nitric oxide levels. Knowing the signs will make it easier for you to take action, and every action taken positively impacts your health and quality of life. The list of symptoms above is far from exhaustive, but it gives you plenty of symptoms to be aware of.

If you notice any of these symptoms, implement the suggestions above and your nitric oxide levels can be restored. Nitric oxide deteriorates quickly, so consistent replacement is a must. If you have already optimized your diet and lifestyle to maximize your nitric oxide production, then look to supplementation.