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Home > Anti-aging Research > Nitric Oxide

Nitric Oxide

Specific Recommendations:

• Pinnacle NoX2 at iHerb

Alternative News:

• Dark chocolate lowers blood pressure, research finds - Science Daily, 6/28/10 - "Flavanols have been shown to increase the formation of endothelial nitric oxide, which promotes vasodilation and consequently may lower blood pressure. There have, however, been conflicting results as to the real-life effects of eating chocolate. We've found that consumption can significantly, albeit modestly, reduce blood pressure for people with high blood pressure but not for people with normal blood pressure ... The pressure reduction seen in the combined results for people with hypertension, 5mm Hg systolic, may be clinically relevant -- it is comparable to the known effects of 30 daily minutes of physical activity (4-9mm Hg) and could theoretically reduce the risk of a cardiovascular event by about 20% over five years" - See flavonoid products at iHerb.
• Glycine Propionyl-L-carnitine Modulates Lipid Peroxidation and Nitric Oxide in Human Subjects - Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 2009 May;79(3):131-141 - "Nitric oxide was increased (p<0.05) from pre- to post-intervention with 3 g GPLC (21.34+/-2.27 vs. 29.46+/-3.61 micromol.L (-1))" - Note:  (29.46 - 21.34) / 21.34 = 38% increase in nitric oxide. See Jarrow Formulas, GPLC, Glyco Carn, 500 mg, 60 Veggie Caps at iHerb.
• Endothelial-Vasoprotective Effects of High-Density Lipoprotein Are Impaired in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus but Are Improved After Extended-Release Niacin Therapy - Circulation. 2009 Dec 21 - "Patients with diabetes were randomized to a 3-month therapy with ER niacin (1500 mg/d) or placebo ... HDL from healthy subjects stimulated endothelial nitric oxide production, reduced endothelial oxidant stress, and improved endothelium-dependent vasodilation and early endothelial progenitor cell-mediated endothelial repair. In contrast, these beneficial endothelial effects of HDL were not observed in HDL from diabetic patients, which suggests markedly impaired endothelial-protective properties of HDL. ER niacin therapy improved the capacity of HDL to stimulate endothelial nitric oxide, to reduce superoxide production, and to promote endothelial progenitor cell-mediated endothelial repair. Further measurements suggested increased lipid oxidation of HDL in diabetic patients, and a reduction after ER niacin therapy ... HDL from patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome has substantially impaired endothelial-protective effects compared with HDL from healthy subjects. ER niacin therapy not only increases HDL plasma levels but markedly improves endothelial-protective functions of HDL in these patients, which is potentially more important" - See Twinlab niacin 1000mg at iHerb.
• Sea of science deepens for fish heart benefits - Nutra USA, 12/16/09 - "left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) ... moderate fish consumption, defined as , was associated with 53 per cent reduction in the risk of developing LVSD compared to no/rare consumption of fish ... In addition, moderate fish consumption was associated with a lower inhibition of the nitric oxide synthase, an enzyme which produces nitric oxide – a potent vasodilator that relaxes blood vessels and improves blood flow" - See Mega Twin EPA at iHerb and Jarrow Max DHA at iHerb and glucosamine products at iHerb.
• Carnosine facilitates nitric oxide production in endothelial f-2 cells - Biol Pharm Bull. 2009 Nov;32(11):1836-9 - "These results indicate that carnosine facilitates NO production in endothelial F-2 cells. It is also suggested that eNOS is activated by Ca2+, which might be released from intracellular Ca2+ stores in response to carnosine" - See L-carnosine products at iHerb.
• Regulation of nitric oxide production in health and disease Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2009 Oct 16 - "The role of the cofactor tetrahydrobiopterin in nitric oxide production and its relation with arginine availability is indicated as an important explanation for the arginine paradox. This offers potential for nitric oxide regulation by dietary factors such as arginine or its precursors and vitamin C. Because diets with a high saturated fat content induce high plasma fatty acid levels, endothelial nitric oxide production is often impaired due to a reduction in nitric oxide synthase 3 phosphorylation. Increasing the arginine availability by arginine therapy or arginase inhibition was, therefore, proposed as a potential therapy to treat hypertension. Recent studies in septic patients and transgenic mice models found that inadequate de-novo arginine production from citrulline reduces nitric oxide production. Citrulline supplementation may, therefore, be a novel therapeutic approach in conditions of arginine deficiency" - See Jarrow Formulas, Arginine 1000, 1000 mg, 100 Easy-Solv Tablets at iHerb and l-citrulline products at iHerb.
• Scientists Help Explain Effects Of Ancient Chinese Herbal Formulas On Heart Health - Science Daily, 8/19/09 - "Nitric oxide is crucial to the cardiovascular system because it signals the inner walls of blood vessels to relax, which facilitates the flow of blood through the heart and circulatory system. The messenger molecule also eliminates dangerous clots, lowers high blood pressure and reduces artery-clogging plaque formation ... In the study, researchers performed laboratory tests on DanShen, GuaLou and other herbs purchased at a Houston store to assess their ability to produce nitric oxide"
• Pure dietary flavonoids quercetin and (-)-epicatechin augment nitric oxide products and reduce endothelin-1 acutely in healthy men - Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 Oct;88(4):1018-25 - "Dietary flavonoids, such as quercetin and (-)-epicatechin, can augment nitric oxide status and reduce endothelin-1 concentrations and may thereby improve endothelial function"
• Pycnogenol((R)), French maritime pine bark extract, augments endothelium-dependent vasodilation in humans - Hypertens Res. 2007 Sep;30(9):775-80 - "These findings suggest that Pycnogenol((R)) augments endothelium-dependent vasodilation by increasing in NO production. Pycnogenol((R)) would be useful for treating various diseases whose pathogeneses involve endothelial dysfunction" - Some say that grape seed extract is the same as Pycnogenol((R)) without the patent markup.  See Pine Bark/Pycnogenol products at iHerb and Grape seed products at iHerb.
• Pine bark extract boost for blood flow and heart health - Nutra USA, 10/18/07 - "Acetylcholine stimulates the cells of arteries to produce NO from L-arginine faster ... In turn, the NO causes the muscle surrounding arteries to relax, which results in an increase of blood vessel diameters. When subjects had taken Pycnogenol the relaxation of arteries was increased by 42 per cent as compared to the group taking placebo tablets" - See pine bark/Pycnogenol products at iHerb and Citi Choline products at iHerb.
• Why Cocoa May Help Heart Health - WebMD, 1/18/06 - "cocoa's antioxidants -- called flavonoids -- coax the body into making more nitric oxide, which relaxes the blood vessels"
• Jarrow Formulas’, Inc. Introduces ALCA 500(TM) (Acetyl-L-Carnitine Arginate Dihydrochloride) - NPI Center, 3/8/05 - "Acetyl-l-carnitine arginate (ALCA) represents an advancement in the carnitine and arginine fields as this new dietary supplement offers potential benefits in affecting levels of nitric oxide over and above the traditional benefits of carnitine" - See Jarrow Acetyl L Carnitine Arginate.
• Vitamins enhance benefits of exercise for heart - Nutra USA, 5/25/04 - "Exercise alone has been shown to increase nitric oxide in the body ... But adding the amino acid L-arginine and the antioxidants vitamins C and E to the mix significantly magnified the effect" [WebMD]
• Nitric Oxide Now -- Ask Me How -  WashingtonPost.com, 10/6/03 - "In the arteries, the innermost layer of cells releases nitric oxide to signal smooth muscle cells to dilate (increase the diameter of) the arteries. This allows blood to flow more freely, particularly during exercise ... By the 1990s, many scientists saw nitric oxide as the next great weapon for treating heart disease, impotence and even bacterial infections ... Niteworks has L-arginine and also L-citrulline, which recycles spent L-arginine by resupplying it with atoms it lost producing nitric oxide ... "Ninety dollars a month? That's obscene," Murad said. "You can probably get [vitamin] C and E for pennies a day. You can probably get arginine for about a dollar a day"" - See L-citrulline products at iHerb.
• N-acetylcysteine Improves Blood Vessels - Nutrition Science News, 5/01 - "Researchers suspect this is because NAC enhances the bioavailability of the relaxing substance nitric oxide, but because nitric oxide has a short half-life and cannot be measured by current methodology, they were unable to determine this directly. In addition, NAC may act as an antioxidant that protects nitric oxide destruction"
• A Fish Story - Nutrition Science News, 4/01 - "daily consumption of very low daily doses of EPA/DHA (120 mg/180 mg, about one standard fish oil capsule) in an enriched milk led to a 19 percent decrease in blood triglycerides and a 19 percent increase in HDL cholesterol after six weeks ... It is unclear whether EPA is superior to DHA, although EPA has proven more potent in relaxing cow coronary arteries and producing the vasodilator gas, nitric oxide, in vitro"
• Want a love potion? What to know before you try - CNN, 6/15/00 - "Tissue and animal studies of one form of ginseng, called panax, give some credence to the root's sexy reputation. A study published in the May 1995 issue of the journal British Pharmacology, for instance, concluded that substances in ginseng extract known as ginsenosides may work in a similar way to Viagra. Viagra enhances the effects of nitric oxide, which helps relax artery walls, allowing more blood flow into the penis. Ginsenosides may encourage the release of more nitric oxide."

News & Research:

• Pioglitazone improves endothelium-dependent vasodilation in hypertensive patients with impaired glucose tolerance in part through a decrease in oxidative stress - Atherosclerosis. 2010 Jan 4 - "Pioglitazone improved endothelial function in hypertensive patients with IGT through an increase in nitric oxide bioavailability by, in part, a decrease in oxidative stress" - See pioglitazone at OffshoreRX.com.  Pioglitazone is one that I take to help prevent diabetes and for anti-aging.  See my Insulin and Aging  page.
• The effect of chronic antipsychotic drug administration on nitric oxide synthase activity and gene expression in rat penile tissues - Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 2009 Nov 13 - "Antipsychotic drug treatment may be associated with common and problematic sexual dysfunction, especially impotence, which can diminish quality of life and lead to treatment noncompliance. Nitric oxide synthase (NOS) is an important cellular modulator of erectile function. We have therefore investigated the effect of antipsychotic drug on activity and gene expression of NOS in rat penile tissues. The activity of constitutive NOS was significantly suppressed below control by a 21days administration of 1mg/kg haloperidol, which also significantly decreased expression of endothelial NOS (eNOS) and neural NOS mRNA. Risperidone at 0.5mg/kg also reduced eNOS mRNA expression. Haloperidol or risperidone did not change gene expression and activity of inducible NOS (iNOS). Quetiapine significantly increased activity and mRNA expression of iNOS with 20 and 40mg/kg doses"
• Health Benefits Of Molecule Associated With Male Sexual Arousal Examined - Science Daily, 6/30/09
• Nitric Oxide Can Alter Brain Function - Science Daily, 11/26/08 - "Surprisingly, the whole population of neurons were affected, even those neurons which had no active synaptic inputs, so indicating that nitric oxide is a 'volume transmitter' passing information between cells without the need for a synapse. Such a function is ideal for tuning neuronal populations to global activity. On the other hand, too much nitric oxide is extremely toxic and will cause death of nerve cells; so within the kernel of this important signaling mechanism are the potential seeds for neurodegeneration, which if left unchecked contribute to the pathologies of stroke and dementias"
• Effects of Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitor and Angiotensin II Receptor Antagonist Combination on Nitric Oxide Bioavailability and Atherosclerotic Change in Watanabe Heritable Hyperlipidemic Rabbits - Hypertens Res. 2008 Mar;31(3):575-84 - "1) vehicle (control), 2) the ACEI enalapril (E: 3 mg/kg/day), 3) the ARB losartan (L: 30 mg/kg/day) and 4) enalapril (1.5 mg/kg/day) + losartan (15 mg/kg/day) (E+L). Intra-aortic infusion of ACh produced an increase in plasma NO concentration, which was significantly greater with all the drug treatments than with the control. E increased ACh-induced NO significantly more than L (by 6.9 nmol/L, and 4.7 nmol/L, respectively). E+L increased ACh-induced NO by 9.5 nmol/L, significantly more than either E or L ... the combined treatment with an ACEI and an ARB may have additive protective effects on endothelial function as well as atherosclerotic change"
• New NO Measuring Device Deemed Useful in Clinical Practice - Medscape, 10/30/07
• Elevated Nitric Oxide In Blood Is Key To High Altitude Function For Tibetans - Science Daily, 10/30/07
• Nitric Oxide: Key To Cardiovascular And Pulmonary Function And Drug Effectiveness - Science Daily, 5/3/07 - "Nitric oxide is a molecule produced by the body that controls many functions, including the contraction or dilation of blood vessels ... Almost half of all drugs on the market today, as well as many hormone and neurotransmitters, target a specific family of cell surface receptors known as G-protein coupled receptors. The researchers believe that the presence or absence of nitric oxide or SNOs determines whether these receptors continue to function properly"
• Study Links High Levels Of Nitric Oxide To Infertility And Sperm DNA Damage - Science Daily, 6/20/06
• Hypertension Drug May Restore Cardiovascular Function In African Americans - Science Daily, 3/11/06 - "The drug [nebivolol] restores correct balance between good nitric oxide and damaging oxidative stress"
• Use Of Statins Shows Improvement In Erectile Performance Of Some Men Who Previously Did Not Respond Well To Viagra - Science Daily, 2/23/06 - "We theorized that if you could make the edothelium healthier through the use of statins -- so that there is more nitric oxide available -- you would improve the endothelial dysfunction and Viagra would work better for the patient"
• Is Trouble in Bed an Indication of Future Heart Disease? - ABC News, 10/12/05 - "In men with erectile dysfunction, nitric oxide levels are low, so blood vessels cannot expand to allow the additional blood to reach the penis"
• How Cutting Calories May Increase Longevity - WebMD, 10/13/05 - "mice that were fed 30% to 40% fewer calories produced more nitric oxide than those who followed an unrestricted diet"
• Nitric Oxide Could Extend Fertility - Science Daily, 9/8/05
• Impotence: A Red Flag for Heart Disease - HealthDay, 9/27/04 - "Nitric oxide is very important for normal erectile function ... We do know that statins improve the function of the enzyme, nitric oxide synthase, that produces nitric oxide inside the blood vessels"
• Homocysteine: How Important? - Intelihealth - "One theory is that homocysteine somehow interferes with the ability of the lining of blood vessels - called the endothelium - to secrete nitric oxide, which helps regulate blood pressure by relaxing and expanding blood vessels when blood flow increases"
• Basal Nitric Oxide Production, Release Improved By AT(1) Receptor Blockade With Valsartan - Doctor's Guide, 2/19/03
• Nitric Oxide Donor Curbs Asymptomatic Embolisation After Carotid Angioplasty - Doctor's Guide, 12/24/02
• Altered Metabolic Fate Of Nitric Oxide In Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus - Doctor's Guide, 12/3/02
• Spray [ISDN] Eases Diabetic Foot Pain - WebMD, 10/3/02 - "Although the exact cause of diabetic neuropathy is unknown, researchers believe the nerve damage is related to an impaired ability to generate nitric oxide (NO). NO is used by the body to encourage healthy blood flow and oxygen circulation"
• Four New Studies Strongly Suggest That Components From Three Types [elderberry, chokeberry and bilberry]  Of Red Berry Fruits Help Arteries - Intelihealth, 4/22/02
• Cocoa: The Next Health Drink? - WebMD, 2/15/02
• Tibetans and Viagra - the missing link? - CNN, 11/23/01
• Exercise Chemical May Cause Migraines - Intelihealth, 7/16/01 - "What seemed to trigger the headache was a spike in nitric oxide, a chemical that has been implicated before in migraine"
• Possible Cause of Preeclampsia Uncovered, Likely Linked to Low Nitric Oxide Levels in Blood - WebMD, 6/7/01

Abstracts:

• Biomarkers of arginine and lysine excess - J Nutr. 2007 Jun;137(6):1662S-8S - "Arginine supplementation is used in several disease states. In arginine-deficient states, supplementation is a logical choice of therapy. However, the definition of an arginine-deficient state is complex. For example, plasma arginine levels could be within normal range but intracellular arginine levels could be reduced because of membrane transport problems. Lysine competes with arginine for transport into the cell. In these situations, arginine supplementation of higher than required levels is proposed. Arginine has several important functions in metabolism as it is a precursor of metabolically active components such as nitric oxide (NO), ornithine, creatine, and polyamines"
• Soy Consumption, Markers of Inflammation, and Endothelial Function: A cross-over study in postmenopausal women with the metabolic syndrome - Diabetes Care. 2007 Apr;30(4):967-73 - "Short-term soy nut consumption reduced some markers of inflammation and increased plasma nitric oxide levels in postmenopausal women with the metabolic syndrome"
• The role of nitric oxide in erectile dysfunction: implications for medical therapy - J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2006 Dec;8(12 Suppl 4):53-62 - "Impaired NO bioactivity is a major pathogenic mechanism of erectile dysfunction"
• Effects of vitamin C on intracoronary L-arginine dependent coronary vasodilatation in patients with stable angina - Heart. 2005 Oct;91(10):1319-23 - "L-arginine dependent coronary segment vasodilatation was augmented by the antioxidant vitamin C in patients with coronary artery disease. Thus, vitamin C may have beneficial effects on nitric oxide bioavailability induced by L-arginine"
• Simvastatin not low-cholesterol diet lowers the elevated plasma nitric oxide level in hyperlipidemic patients - Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2004;13(Suppl):S98

Related Searches:

• Doctor's Guide search of nitric
• Doctor's Guide (2) search of nitric
• Intelihealth search of nitric
• Life Extension Foundation search
• Medline search of nitric oxide
• Medscape search of nitric
• The Natural Pharmacist search of nitric
• Nutrition Science News search
• WebMD search of nitric

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