Nitric oxide is a molecule that's produced by almost every type of cell in your body, and it's an essential molecule for your blood vessel health. A vasodilator, nitric oxide relaxes the inner muscles of the blood vessels, making them wider. Wider blood vessels allow your blood, nutrients, and oxygen to travel easily and efficiently to all parts of your body, lowering your blood pressure and reducing your risk of heart disease.
If your body isn't producing enough nitric oxide, you're at a higher risk of erectile dysfunction, heart disease, and diabetes. The good news is that there are a number of ways to increase nitric oxide levels naturally. Here are five quick ways.
1. Eat your veggies
Some vegetables are chock-full of nitrate, a compound that's converted into nitric oxide in your body during digestions. While nitrates in processed meats may contribute to cancer and other health problems, the nitrates you get from vegetables are harmless and highly beneficial, according to several studies that show eating nitrate-rich vegetables can lower your blood pressure as effectively as some medications.
Veggies high in nitrates include:
- Arugula
- Beetroot
- Celery
- Chervil
- Cress
- Lettuce
- Spinach
2. Boost your antioxidant intake
Antioxidants are molecules that fight free radicals, which are partly responsible for the speed with which nitric oxide degrades in the bloodstream. Consuming high levels of antioxidants can help your body maintain higher levels of nitric oxide by preventing its breakdown. Important antioxidants include vitamins C and E, polyphenols, and glutathione, which are found in large quantities in fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, and whole grains.
3. Fast
According to a study published in the journal Biology and Medicine, intermittent fasting increases nitric oxide, improves endothelial vasodilations, and reduces blood pressure. Intermittent fasting is a cycle of eating and fasting, which has been shown to not only increase nitric oxide levels but also improve weight loss, increase metabolism, and protect against a range of diseases.
Several intermittent fasting methods can be used, depending on your preferences. These methods split the day or week into periods of eating and periods of fasting. For example, the 16/8 fasting method involves restricting your eating to an eight-hour window, such as between noon and 8 pm. Another method involves fasting for 24 hours, such as from after dinner one day until dinner the next day. Still another way to fast is to eat just 500 to 600 calories two days out of the week.
4. Exercise
Exercise gets your blood pumping and keeps your endothelial cells and vessels healthy by increasing your ability to produce nitric oxide naturally. Exercise is a well-researched treatment for high blood pressure and can help prevent hypertension and heart disease.
Exercise also increases the activity of antioxidants in the body, which helps to reduce the breakdown of nitric oxide by free radicals, keeping this important molecule in your body longer. Strive to get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise each week, which boils down to just a half hour a day, five days a week.
5. Take a nitric oxide-boosting supplement
Supplements that boost nitric oxide levels don't actually contain nitric oxide, but rather feature ingredients that help nitric oxide form in the body and prevent its breakdown.
Predoxen's Nitric Oxide supplement contains powerful ingredients like L-arginine, an amino acid that produces nitric oxide, and L-citrulline, which is a byproduct of the conversion of L-arginine to nitric oxide that can be recycled back into L-arginine to increase your body's natural production of nitric oxide. A daily dose of Predoxen Nitric Oxide can help you maintain adequate levels of nitric oxide every day.
Boosting your nitric oxide levels can have a profound effect on your health, especially if you have high blood pressure or are at risk for developing it. Increasing nitric oxide levels naturally comes down to a healthy lifestyle that includes mostly unprocessed plant-based foods, plenty of exercise, occasional fasting, and daily supplementation.
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23596162?log$=...
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC26177...
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC44724...
https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/83/2/508S/46...
