5 Ways to Increase Nitric Oxide Naturally
Nitric oxide is a molecule that’s produced naturally by your body, and it’s important for many aspects of your health.
Its most important function is vasodilation, meaning it relaxes the inner muscles of the blood vessels, causing them to widen and increase circulation.
Nitric oxide production is essential for overall health because it allows blood, nutrients and oxygen to travel to every part of your body effectively and efficiently.
In fact, a limited capacity to produce nitric oxide is associated with heart disease, diabetes and erectile dysfunction.
Fortunately, there are many ways to maintain optimal levels of nitric oxide in your body.
Here are the top 5 ways to increase nitric oxide naturally.
Nitrate, a compound found in certain vegetables, is one of the many reasons vegetables are healthy for you.
Vegetables high in nitrate include (1Trusted Source):
- Celery
- Cress
- Chervil
- Lettuce
- Beetroot
- Spinach
- Arugula
When these foods are consumed, nitrates are converted into nitric oxide, which confers a wide range of health benefits related to heart health and exercise performance.
In fact, several analyses have shown that eating nitrate-rich vegetables can lower blood pressure as much as some blood pressure medications (2Trusted Source, 3Trusted Source, 4Trusted Source, 5Trusted Source).
Strong evidence favors nitrates, especially from beetroot, for improving exercise performance in athletes (6Trusted Source, 7Trusted Source, 8, 9Trusted Source).
Despite the effects that nitrates have on nitric oxide production in your body, some people avoid them for fear they are harmful and contribute to cancer.
This is likely because sodium nitrates are commonly used as a preservative and color fixative in bacon, cold cuts and hot dogs.
Eating these foods is linked to bowel cancer, and nitrates are thought to be the culprit (10Trusted Source, 11Trusted Source).
Nitrates can form N-nitroso compounds, such as nitrosamine, which are capable of causing cancer.
However, vegetables, which account for more than 80 percent of nitrate intake, contain antioxidants like vitamin C, which help prevent the formation of N-nitroso compounds (12Trusted Source).
Therefore, nitrates from vegetables are harmless, whereas nitrates in processed meats can be troublesome to health, particularly when consumed in excess over long periods (13).
SUMMARYVegetables are good sources of nitrates, which help form nitric oxide in your body. Consuming nitrate-rich vegetables improves heart health and exercise performance.
Nitric oxide is an unstable molecule that degrades quickly in the bloodstream, so it must be constantly replenished (14).
One way to increase its stability and limit its breakdown is by consuming antioxidants.
Antioxidants are molecules that neutralize free radicals, which contribute to the short life of nitric oxide (15Trusted Source).
These antioxidants are found in all foods but primarily those of plant origin, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and grains.
A few important antioxidants include:
- Vitamin C: This antioxidant helps your body form connective tissues, including skin, bones, tendons and cartilage. It also produces brain chemicals that help nerve cells communicate (16Trusted Source).
- Vitamin E: This antioxidant protects cells from the damaging effects of free radicals, which are thought to contribute to aging and disease. It also plays an important role in keeping the immune system strong (17Trusted Source, 18Trusted Source).
- Polyphenols: This category of antioxidants is associated with several health benefits, including a reduced risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease (19Trusted Source).
- Glutathione: Coined “the mother of all antioxidants,” glutathione is the master antioxidant and detoxifier of every cell in your body.
Several studies have found that ingesting nitric oxide precursors, such as nitrate or citrulline, with antioxidants maintains greater levels of nitric oxide in your body by helping reduce its breakdown (20Trusted Source, 21Trusted Source, 22Trusted Source, 23Trusted Source).
Vegetables that are high in nitrate are also inherently high in antioxidants, which is likely why vegetables are so effective at increasing and maintaining optimal levels of nitric oxide (3Trusted Source).
SUMMARYAntioxidants help decrease the breakdown and extend the life of nitric oxide in your body.
