Dr NO
Posted on 17th February 2025 at 09:44
No, not a Bond villain plotting death and destruction from their mountain lair, but Dr Louis Ignarro, an American pharmacologist who shared the Nobel Prize for Medicine for his work on Nitric Oxide (NO). As he said, “You don’t just win the Nobel Prize for discovering something: it has to be of benefit to mankind…” and it certainly has been.
Nitric oxide (NO) is a naturally occurring molecule in the body that plays an important role in maintaining overall health. It helps cells communicate with each other. One of its most important functions is to relax and widen blood vessels (“vasodilation”), which improves blood flow and ensures that oxygen and nutrients are delivered to organs and tissues. In the context of Men’s Health, it is an important mediator of both testosterone and erectile dysfunction (ED) medication. It also helps prevent high blood pressure and reduce the risk of diabetes; reduces cholesterol and plaque formation; and has anti-inflammatory effects.
Low nitric oxide levels are usually due to the following:
Old age: the aging body is less able to produce NO, possibly in line with testosterone deficiency, resulting in increased heart disease and blood pressure.
Smoking: directly reduces NO, with increased risk of vascular disease (as well as cancer).
Diet: lack of vegetables and fruit reduce nitrates and anti-oxidants.
Exercise: exercise stimulates the production of this beneficial molecule so sedentary lifestyles can inhibit nitric oxide production.
So, how do we improve NO levels in the body?
Stop/reduce smoking.
Exercise: both cardio & weights/HIIT will be beneficial. The latter, particularly in men, will increase muscle bulk especially in the “quads” & “glutes”, the two largest muscle groups, which help boost testosterone production.
Diet: beetroots are the dambusters of foods highest in NO, followed by green veg, carrots, pomegranates, dark chocolate, nuts. Some authorities suggest NO levels are reduced by heat so advised using the above raw or in smoothies, but raw beetroot doesn’t sound like a great taste to me (it’s bad enough cooked!) As I have said previously, follow the advice of Prof Tim Spector and “eat the rainbow”.
Supplements: most people should not need supplements if they have a balanced diet and healthy gut biome, but L-arginine & L-citrulline are particularly important facilitators of NO production.
It’s always worth checking testosterone levels in these situations as healthy testosterone levels are needed for both NO benefits and for ED medication to work properly.
NO is not “Laughing Gas” (that’s nitrous oxide, N2O), but I think Dr Ignarro is probably guffawing all the way to the bank as a result of the NO supplements he has helped develop in USA. And I don’t think anybody should begrudge him that: he has benefitted mankind immensely.
Tagged as: Nitric Oxide
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