Nitric oxide is a simple yet essential molecule. Nitric oxide is an amalgamation in the body that causes blood vessels to broaden and balance out the release of particular hormones, such as insulin and growth hormone. Supplements that stimulate nitric oxide in the human body make up one of the most famous supplement categories nowadays.
Nitric oxide belongs to the category of those supplements, which includes L-citrulline and L-arginine components. Many researchers have performed numerous clinical trials on nitric oxide supplements and their usefulness.
This article shows that nitric oxide performs specific tasks in the body and the health benefits of nitric oxide supplements.
L-citrulline and L-arginine are the two most common Nitric oxide supplements.
- Naturally, L-arginine is an amino acid, or we can say a protein component, which we can find in red meat, poultry, fish, and dairy products. The producer produces it in the form of creams, powder, or tablets in the laboratory.
- L-citrulline is an amino acid too, which we can get from meat, dry fruits, pulses, and watermelon. Producers can also make it in a laboratory and sell it as a pill or powder.
Suppose a person is not taking Nitric Oxide supplements than he usually consumes 5grams of L-arginine daily, based on The Journal Of Nutrition research. Later on, the body converts these supplements into Nitric oxide, which is useful in several body functions.
What is the Need for Arginine?
Arginine, which is also called L-arginine, is involved in various functions of the body. It helps in:
- Healing of wounds.
- Assists kidneys to discard waste products from the body.
- It helps in maintaining immune and hormone functions.
- Dilates the arteries
Some scientists assume that nitric oxide in the human body relaxes or broaden blood vessels. Some medicines, such as Viagra, control the nitric oxide pathway to promote opening up the blood vessel and enhance blood flow to the penis to boost erections and lowers blood pressure.
Many people believe that intake of nitric oxide supplements may improve blood flow in the body to enhance performance in sports, in the healing process, adjust heart health, and deliver many other potential benefits.
Here we have explained many potential uses and health benefits of nitric oxide supplements.
Following are five health benefits a person can have by taking Nitric oxide supplements.
- Erectile Dysfunction:
Nitric Oxide is an integral part of sex and heart health. Erectile dysfunction, also called ED is the inability to achieve or maintain an erection that is firm enough for sex. L-citrulline is an amino acid that helps treat erectile dysfunction by improving nitric oxide production.
Nitric oxide assists in relaxing the muscles of the penis. It further allows filling the chambers inside the penis with blood, which eventually helps in its erection.
Analyst assumed that prescriptive drugs are more effective than L-citrulline for the treatment of erectile dysfunction like Viagra. However, it has proved that L-citrulline is more safe and bearable. Amino acid L-arginine and French maritime pine bark extract are the other supplements that contain Nitric-Oxide which use to treat erectile dysfunction. Even a combination of L-arginine and French maritime pine bark extracts majorly improve the sexual function in men, which is relatively safe also if taken together.
- Muscle soreness:
Citrulline malate, a form of L-citrulline, helps increase nitric oxide production, while it also helps decrease muscle soreness.
Muscle soreness is a painful experience that generally occurs after exhausted or unusual exercise. This soreness is also called delayed-onset muscle soreness, and it usually affects in severity after 24–72 hours of activity.
Citrulline malate improves nitric oxide production, which eventually increases blood circulation to activate muscles. However, it has believed that citrulline malate helps increase nutrient delivery and remove waste products of the body, which are related to muscle fatigue, like lactate and ammonia. Some recent studies show that the effectiveness of citrulline malate to decrease muscle soreness may depend on the dose and type of exercise.
The researchers have proved that an athlete can improve oxygen distribution to muscles by taking nitric oxide supplements, enhancing athlete performance and effectiveness, and eliminating the soreness after a workout.
Some studies in the journal Sports Medicine articles describe that taking nitric oxide supplements may improve the tolerance towards exercise. Researchers performed this research on young males. Nevertheless, it only applies to those who do not do regular exercise or only exercise at a moderate level.
- Helps to Manage Type 2 Diabetes:
People who have type 2 diabetes, their body, have a lesser tendency to produce nitric oxide. Less production of nitric oxide means they have poor blood vessel health, which can worsen specific health problems like high blood pressure, kidney and heart disease.
Hence, nitric oxide supplements may have significant implications for diabetes treatment and many disease preventions.
One study proved that if people have type 2 diabetes and take L-arginine, their nitric oxide production increases over time, leading to increased insulin sensitivity, eventually helping for better sugar control in the blood. One of the reported benefits of taking nitric oxide supplements is that it helps heal foot ulcers in diabetic patients.
- High Blood Pressure:
High blood pressure occurs when consistently the blood force hardly pushes against the walls of arteries. By the time, high blood pressure may create severe health problems like heart and kidney disease. Patients having high blood pressure issues have a threatening level of nitric oxide consumption.
It has been proven that a high intake of fruits and vegetables reduces blood pressure hence decrease the risk of related diseases. Thus, researchers observe the beneficial components present in certain fruits and vegetables, which helps maintain the blood pressure in a human body.
Some components which help in reducing blood pressure are:
- Nitrate
When we consume nitrate, our body converts it to nitric oxide, which soothes the blood vessels and dilates them, lowering the blood pressure.
Nitrate is the compound that presents in beetroot and dark leafy greens vegetables like spinach and arugula.
- Flavonoids
Like nitrates, flavonoid extracts also have been shown to improve blood pressure levels in the human body.
Flavonoids have powerful antioxidant which is found in almost all fruits and vegetables. Researchers believe that flavonoids not only increase nitric oxide production but also decrease its breakage, promoting higher levels. People take nitric oxide for numerous reasons.
Here is the list of some more reported advantages of nitric oxide supplements are:
- It helps in reducing the weight
- enhancing lung function in people with cystic fibrosis
- assists in the treatment of altitude sickness
- aids in recovery after significant trauma or injury
- preventing the common cold
Conclusion:
Nitric oxide is a component that plays many influential roles in the human body. Nitric oxide is a dietary supplement that is extremely famous around the sports, gyming, and bodybuilding. Nitric oxide supplements help increase nitric oxide in the body and provide impressive benefits for human health and body performance.
