NO2

Nitric Oxide Supplements For Fitness

Nitric oxide (NO) is a colourless gas made up of one molecule of nitrogen and one molecule of oxygen. It is produced by almost every cell in the human body from L-arginine, oxygen, and NADPH (Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate), a cofactor in anabolic reactions and nitric oxide can be obtained through certain supplements and nutrients.

NO is a signalling molecule in many physiological and pathological processes. The 1998 Nobel Prize in Physiology ofMedicine was awarded for discovering nitric oxide's role as a cardiovascular signalling molecule. Indeed, NO plays a key role in the cardiovascular system, where it is responsible for maintaining healthy blood vessels and regulating blood pressure. 

As a mediator of cell-to-cell communication NO plays an important role in a wide range of processes, including neurotransmission, inflammation, and vasodilation, the latter of which is why it is used extensively in sports nutrition. As a powerful vasodilator, NO facilitates the movement of blood through the vessels so the heart doesn’t have to pump as hard. From an athletic perspective, NO helps regulate the delivery of oxygen to muscles, by relaxing and opening blood vessels, which results in improving blood flow. In turn, better blood flow not only translates into lower blood pressure but also decreases the demand placed on the heart and skeletal muscle. This explains why NO supplementation improves exercise tolerance in both aerobic and anaerobic exercise, and why it is one of the most popular supplements in sports nutrition today.

Benefits of Nitric Oxide

• Boosts Exercise Performance
• Decreases Muscle Soreness
• Enhances Bodybuilding Efforts
• Lowers Blood Pressure
• Treats Erectile Dysfunction

Why Increase Nitric Oxide?

Your naturopath may recommend a Nitric Oxide supplement to help protect cardiovascular health, especially if you have high blood pressure or a family history of atherosclerosis/arterial disease, stroke, and heart attack. NO may also be recommended to help restore circulation in erectile dysfunction since it is the principal mediator of penile erection, responsible for relaxing the smooth muscle in the penis. Because NO plays a key role in cell communication in the brain, supplementation may also be ideal to support brain health, especially in neurodegenerative conditions. Of course, athletes, bodybuilders, and other fitness enthusiasts are also prime candidates for NO supplementation to improve their exercise tolerance, enhance their performance, and decrease post-exercise muscle soreness.

Nitric Oxide Supporting Supplements

NO supplements are very popular among the gym crowd, and while they do not contain actual NO, they do supply nutrients that stimulate our own production of NO. 

NO supplements typically feature nitrates from vegetable sources like beets, or the amino acids L-citrulline and L-arginine. Nitric Oxide supplements may also feature French maritime pine bark extract, which has been shown effective at boosting NO levels inside the body. Given the wide range of potential NO stimulating ingredients, there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to dosing recommendations. Always follow label instructions carefully for maximum benefits and safety.

Final Thoughts

While certain conditions may especially benefit from NO supplementation, an increase in NO production can help support just about everyone's health in general by stimulating the delivery of blood, nutrients, and oxygen to all of the body’s systems. Of course, there are other ways to enhance NO production in addition to supplementation. These include:

• A diet high in nitrates such as arugula, beetroot, celery, chervil, lettuce, and spinach
• Increased antioxidant intake
• Exercise
• Limiting the use of mouthwash which kills the bacteria required to produce nitric oxide.