Fruits, Veggies and Nitric Oxide

Nitric oxide supplements are currently getting a great deal of attention for their bodybuilding benefits. A variety of supplements exist on the market claiming to increase the rate of muscle-building.  Clinical results are showing that nitric oxide is helpful, however, many of these products aren’t safe or well-tested. Luckily, there are other options for to boosting nitric oxide  including increasing your intake of certain fruits and vegetables.

Information About Nitric Oxide

Fruits, Veggies and Nitric OxideNitric oxide is a molecular compound made in our bodies. Through signals transmitted through the body It allows for intercellular communication. Nitric oxide has demonstrated importance in: assisting the immune system at fighting off bacteria and defending against tumors; helping behavior and memory by sending information within the brain; reducing inflammation; regulating blood pressure by dilating arteries; improving your recognition of various physical senses; improving sleep quality; assisting in gastric motility; and increasing endurance and strength. If you have an existing heart condition or abnormal blood pressure, please consult your healthcare professional before taking supplements to increase nitric oxide levels. Luckily there are other options for naturally increasing the nitric oxide in your body.

Increasing the nitric oxide in your body

Fruits, Veggies and Nitric OxideYou can increase nitric oxide through exercise. Running and lifting weights, causes an increase in the amount of oxygen required by your muscles. The lining in your arteries releases nitric oxide into the blood as the heart pumps with increased pressure to provide the muscles with blood.  As we grow older, blood vessels and nitric oxide systems are less efficient because of free radical damage, inactivity, and poor diet, causing our blood vessels and arteries to break down. Another natural option for to increasing nitric oxide is via diet. Arginine, can be found in fruits, nuts, dairy and meat; it makes nitric oxide and citrulline inside the cell. Citrulline is recycled back into arginine, making even more nitric oxide. We can take care of these enzymes and nitric oxide by eating a healthy diet which includes antioxidants and allows you to make more nitric oxide. Nitric oxide lasts mere seconds in your body, so you need to provide more antioxidants to make it last longer. Nitrates are naturally occurring in lots of plants. One of the richest sources of nitrates are beets. When you gain nitrate (NO3-), like from beets, bacteria in the mouth make lose an oxygen molecule and form nitrite (NO2-). The nitrite next travels to the bloodstream, where it loses another oxygen and becomes NO.

Let’s take a closer look at natural ways to increase nitric oxide from food sources.

Beetroot and Beet Consumption — Beets naturally increase your body’s ability to make nitric oxide in the body. Beetroot juice also boosts immunity. A recent study discovered that utilizing an antiseptic mouthwash such as Listerine kills off a large number of the bacteria in the mouth that convert nitrate into nitrite. This lowers the nitric oxide made from sources like beets. Therefore, if you’re consuming beets or  including a beet extract in your diet to raise nitric oxide levels, you may want to skip the antiseptic mouthwash before consuming any nitrate source.

Consume Hawthorn Extract – Hawthorn prevents plaque from coating arterial walls. It works as a calcium-channel blocker and aids the endothelial cells that line our blood vessels to secrete nitric oxide.

Increase consumption of L-Arginine and L-Citrulline Amino Acids —  The antioxidants in fruits and nuts also protect the nitric oxide which is created by eating these foods.