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Food Supplements for Nitric Oxide

Jun 25, 2011 | By Bonnie Vanaman
Food Supplements for Nitric Oxide
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Nitric oxide is involved in many important functions in your body, which is why it was dubbed Molecule of the Year in 1992 by the journal "Science" and the 1998 Nobel Prize for medicine was given for research into the role nitric oxide plays in treating heart disease. Although your body manufactures nitric oxide naturally, certain dietary supplements may help boost levels and increase nitric oxide's beneficial effects. Talk to your health care professional before starting any type of supplement regimen.

Identification

Nitric oxide, or NO, is produced in the endothelium lining of your blood vessels and increases blood flow by widening arteries, while keeping blood vessels flexible and preventing fatty deposits. Nitric oxide's benefits don't stop there, as it also helps build muscle and dilates the blood vessels the cause erections. Although foods themselves don't contain nitric oxide, the amino acid L-arginine, found in foods such as salmon, oats, soy and walnuts, is needed to manufacture NO. Antioxidants such as vitamins A and C in fruits and vegetables also help prevent the breakdown of nitric oxide in your body.

Folic Acid

A form of folic acid, one of the B-complex vitamins, may be able to restore normal NO functioning in people with high cholesterol. A study in "Circulation Research" in 2000 demonstrated nitric oxide's ability to enhance NO production in endothelial cells in the lab by affecting the activity of certain enzymes.

L-arginine

L-arginine supplements in a dose of 8.4 g daily were given to subjects with high cholesterol over a two-week period for a study published in the "Journal of the American College of Cardiology" in 1997. The L-arginine showed a moderate ability to restore nitric oxide activity and help prevent platelet clumping that can lead to life-threatening clots.

L-citrulline

L-citrulline is another amino acid produced naturally by your body and also found in foods such as watermelons, cucumbers, walnut seedlings, cantaloupe and the milk protein casein. L-citrulline boosts the formation L-arginine and nitric oxide, as demonstrated in a study published in the "British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology" in January 2008. In fact, L-citrulline supplements raised levels of L-arginine in the blood better than L-arginine supplements did.

Pomegranate

A study published in the journal "Nitric Oxide" in September 2006 found that pomegranate juice was more potent than concord grape juice, blueberry juice, red wine or ascorbic acid in protecting nitric oxide against oxidative destruction. The juice also helped augment nitric oxide's biological actions.

Quercetin

Quercetin is an antioxidant found in foods such as apples, pears and onions. Researchers in Spain tested quercetin on obese insulin-resistant rats in a study published in the journal "Obesity" in 2008. A dose of 2 or 10 mg/kg of body weight for 10 weeks resulted in improvements in blood pressure and levels of lipids and insulin and also led to increased activity of endothelial nitric oxide synthase, the enzyme that generates nitric oxide.

Resveratrol

The antioxidant resveratrol, concentrated in the skins of red grapes and in red wine, was used in a study by researchers at the Brander Cancer Research Institute in New York. The findings, published in "Cancer Research" in 1999, found that resveratrol extracts were able to induce nitric oxide synthase in pulmonary artery endothelial cells in vitro.

References

Article reviewed by CarmenN Last updated on: Jun 25, 2011

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