Nitric oxide is frequently mistaken for both nitrous oxide and nitrogen dioxide, which is hardly surprisingly considering how similar they all sound; but seeing as nitrous oxide is a greenhouse gas and nitrogen dioxide an air pollutant, they are definitely of no use to us on our quest to improve our bodies and overall health! Now that we have made that distinction, let’s get down to the facts.
Nitric oxide is an important signalling molecule that acts in many of our body tissues as a regulator of various pathological and physiological processes. It has an antianginal effect on your system by causing vasodilatation, leading to a decrease in cardiac workload. By dilating your veins, nitric oxide lowers both arterial pressure and left ventricular filling pressure. This vasodilatation does not decrease the volume of blood the heart pumps, but instead it decreases the force the heart muscle must exert to pump the same volume of blood.
In plain English, this is a good thing for your body as it can assist the immune system when it is called to fight off harmful bacteria and it works to regulate blood pressure. Furthermore, nitric oxide does the following…
- Helps memory and behaviour by transmitting information between nerve cells in the brain
- Defends against tumours
- Reduces inflammation
- Improves sleep quality
- Increases recognition of sense (e.g. smell)
- Increases endurance and strength
- Assists gastric motility
In regards to fitness, an increase in nitric oxide in the body equates to more blood being in the muscles, leading to a greater pump effect and better nutrient delivery. The most common way to achieve this increase is through exercise. When doing any form of exercise, your muscles will require more oxygen, which is delivered through your blood stream. As your heart pumps with more pressure to supply the muscles with blood, the lining in your arteries releases nitric oxide into the blood. This relaxes and widens the vessel wall, allowing for more blood to pass though.
To supplement your exercise, you can increase nitric oxide through diet, by consuming the amino acids L-arginine and L-citrulline. Necessary for the production of protein, L-arginine also helps rid the body of ammonia (a waste product), stimulates the release of insulin and is used to make nitric oxide. When you combine L-arginine with citrulline, nitric oxide production is increased. Citrulline is created in the body as an intermediate in the conversion of the amino acid ornithine to arginine in a metabolic pathway called the urea cycle. As a precursor to nitric oxide, it supports cardiovascular health, sexual function, and physical energy. L-citrulline also helps detoxify the liver through its role in converting ammonia into urea.
Foods rich in L-arginine and L-citrulline include:
- Meat and vegetable proteins: Arginine is found in varying degrees in all protein sources. Good sources include: tuna, chicken, beef, pork, almonds, walnuts, peanuts.
- Watermellon: The main dietary source of citrulline. To get the most citrulline from watermelon, make sure you eat the rind as well.
- Dairy: Some cheeses offer more arginine per gram than meats such as chicken. Dry Parmesan, skimmed milk mozzarella, Swiss, Edam and Gouda are high in arginine. Surprisingly, milk has very little arginine; one whole fried egg has 12 times the arginine per gram than an equal weight of milk.
Nitric oxide only lasts a few seconds in the body, but can be sustained for longer periods with the consumption of antioxidants as part of a balanced diet. Antioxidants can be found in tea, fruit, garlic, soy, vitamins C and E, to name but a few. The more antioxidant protection you provide your body, the more stable the nitric oxide levels will be and the longer its benefits will be present in your system.
Nitric oxide deficiencies occur with aging, sedentary behaviour, smoking, high cholesterol and poor diet, but by increasing your nitric oxide you can sustain decent energy levels and improve your overall vitality and wellness.