supplements
N.O. Supplements? No Way!
This article is published here with the permission of the author, Ellen Coleman, RD, MA, MPH
Supplements that allegedly increase nitric oxide (NO) levels within the body are being heavily marketed to build muscles. “Nitric oxide” supplements supposedly: 1) promote an extended “muscle pump;” 2) signal muscle growth and speed recovery; and 3) increase muscle strength and improve muscle stamina. Nitric oxide (a gas manufactured by the body) is a key signaling molecule in the cardiovascular system. It is different from other known signal molecules and so unstable that it is converted to nitrate and nitrite within seconds.
Nitric oxide regulates blood pressure and acts as a gatekeeper of blood flow to different organs. In addition to vascular regulation, nitric oxide plays an important role in immune responses and neuronal signal transmission. The 1998 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded for discoveries concerning nitric oxide as a signal molecule (see Nobel webpage) – a fact which some websites capitalize on to promote their “nitric oxide” supplements. The non-essential amino acid arginine is the substrate for the nitric oxide synthase enzyme, which catalyzes the oxidation of arginine to produce nitric oxide and citrulline. › Continue reading
N.O. Supplements? No Way!
The following article on nitric oxide supplements is published here with permission from the author, Ellen Coleman, RD, MA, MPH.
Supplements that allegedly increase nitric oxide (NO) levels within the body are being heavily marketed to build muscles. “Nitric oxide” supplements supposedly: 1) promote an extended “muscle pump;” 2) signal muscle growth and speed recovery; and 3) increase muscle strength and improve muscle stamina. Nitric oxide (a gas manufactured by the body) is a key signaling molecule in the cardiovascular system. It is different from other known signal molecules and so unstable that it is converted to nitrate and nitrite within seconds.
Nitric oxide regulates blood pressure and acts as a gatekeeper of blood flow to different organs. In addition to vascular regulation, nitric oxide plays an important role in immune responses and neuronal signal transmission. The 1998 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded for discoveries concerning nitric oxide as a signal molecule (see Nobel webpage) – a fact which some websites capitalize on to promote their “nitric oxide” supplements. The non-essential amino acid arginine is the substrate for the nitric oxide synthase enzyme, which catalyzes the oxidation of arginine to produce nitric oxide and citrulline. › Continue reading