WHAT IS NITRIC OXIDE?

NITRIC OXIDE (COMMON NAME) OR NITROGEN MONOXIDE (SYSTEMIC NAME), IS A NATURALLY OCCURING CHEMICAL COMPOUND.
	Nitric Oxide, (NO) what it is, what it does and what it may be able to do that hasn't been researched.

MORE THAN AN AIR POLLUTANT.
	At one time, nitric oxide was believed to be nothing more than an air pollutant produced by cigarette smoke, automobile engines, power plants and in nature. That was until 1987 when a study showing that it played a physiological role in mammals won a Nobel Prize . NO is an important signaling molecule in the body of mammals, including humans.

NO DOES MANY THINGS.
	Continued research since 1987 has shown nitric oxide to be involved in learning and memory, blood pressure regulation, penile erection, digestion and the fighting of infection and cancer. Recently, it has been shown to increase muscle mass.

NO HELPS RELAX THE ARTERIES.
	Increasing muscle mass through the use of NO is accomplished in the same manner that it can be useful in blood pressure regulation, penile erection and digestion. By relaxing the arteries more blood is able to flow, which in turn carries more nutrients and oxygen to the cells.

RELAXED ARTERIES CAN CARRY MORE NUTRIENTS TO THE CELLS AND MUSCLES.

Relaxing the arteries allows more nutrients to reach the muscles more quickly after a hard workout. Previous research showed that more nutrients were taken up by the muscles and more glucose was produced if proper nutrients were eaten immediately after a workout. Sorry, that doesn't include sugars, fats or ice cream. The longer the time between a workout and eating, the less the percentage of nutrient uptake. If eating was within fifteen minutes, the uptake was close to 100% of nutrients lost. If eating was an hour or more afterwards, the uptake could drop as low as 10% and fell off to almost zero shortly thereafter.

RELAXED ARTERIES CAN HELP LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE.
	Blood pressure regulation is achieved by relaxing the arteries which helps increase the internal size, and relieve artery wall resistance. Relaxing the penile artery allows more blood flow to the penis. Viagra® and Cealis® both work in the same manner but use synthetic chemical substances.

DIGESTION AND BLOOD FLOW.

Digestion, in the stomach and entire digestive tract, depends on blood flow. If you feel tired after eating, one reason may be your blood is going to the digestive tract and being pulled out of the muscles and other parts of the body. Another reason can be you're allergic to the food. A large percentage of heart attacks happen after eating a large meal, possibly because there is low blood flow from restriction in the cardio system, i.e. heart disease, and when blood is directed to the digestive tract, there is a shortage for the rest of the body including the heart and brain.

DISEASE AND OXYGEN.
	Disease can't live in an oxygen rich atmosphere. Increasing oxygen flow increases the amount of oxygen available at the cellular level. Adequate amounts of oxygen are one form of therapy for treating various forms of infection. Cancer cell growth can be moderated or reversed when adequate oxygen and proper nutrients are available.

LACK OF OXYGEN AT THE CELLULAR LEVEL.

As we age, most of us experience loss of muscle mass, loss of hair, lowered libido, shortness of breath, increased recovery time from injury and exercise and slower physical reaction times. All of these can be caused by lack of oxygen and nutrients at the cellular level. All too often we're lead to believe this is normal aging. What most of us think of as normal aging, really isn't and I'll cover that in greater depth in an upcoming article.

PROS AND CONS.
	The above are the pros of NO but there are a few cons. As the ancient Chinese proverbs says, "Nothing is inherently good nor evil."

BACTERIA AND NO.
	A study, led by Evgeny Nudler, professor of biochemistry at New York University Langone Medical Center, showed nitric oxide (NO) can be mobilized by bacteria to neutralize many antibacterial compounds (antibiotics) and to defend against antibiotic oxidative stress.

DOES NO CURE BALDNESS?

What are sources of nitric oxide? If you have a computer and an e-mail account, you've undoubtedly seen pumped up (new catch word "ripped"), bald headed men scowling at you from your home page. Most of those ads are for nitric oxide that has been synthesized in the laboratory. Obviously, the extent of NO's ability to stop hair loss is limited. NO can be of benefit in refueling muscles and building muscle mass

ORGANIC SOURCE OF NO.

The best organic, natural source of NO are nuts, seeds, fish, lean meat, beans, soy, chocolate, dark leafy greens, primarily beets and beet juice. Beet juice is a more highly concentrated source, but you lose the bulk and fiber that come with the whole food. Bulk and fiber are important to health. Some of the body builders I've known in the past have had to resort to taking laxatives. The reasons are multi-fold but two are: lack of bulk and fiber and the other is tension in the digestive tract. Tighten up your abdominal muscles and see what else is also tight and restricted. A flat abdomen looks good and is much better health wise than a pot belly but keep the ancient Chinese saying in mind before you go too far.