Nitric Oxide: Not Just for Men

When you think of nitric oxide (NO), you probably think about how it boosts blood flow to improve your sex life. Or maybe you’re an athlete who uses it as a performance enhancer to get the most out of your workout…

You know that nitric oxide relaxes and widens your blood vessels.

This allows blood and oxygen to flow freely to every part of your body — protecting you from heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and erectile dysfunction.

But this “miracle molecule” is also a powerful weapon in your immune system’s arsenal. It’s been shown to destroy viral contagions such as influenza, coronavirus and swine flu.1

You see, NO is produced in large amounts by all kinds of cells in your body, including specialized cells in your immune system called macrophages. During a viral infection, your body produces chemicals called cytokines that activate the cells of the immune system — including macrophages — and help guide them to the areas of infection.

The high amounts of nitric oxide produced by these macrophages are toxic to the viral pathogen. Not only does this stop the viruses from reproducing, it actually destroys them.2

In fact, this was proven during the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS) outbreak in 2005.

Researchers at the Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control found that NO specifically inhibited the replication cycle of SARS, especially during the early days of infection. This led the research team to conclude that the production of NO has powerful antiviral effects.3

But these nitric oxide-producing immune cells take it one step further…

They are also able to wipe out and destroy viruses with oxygen. NO is an enabler that modulates cells and makes oxygen available. You see, while oxygen is the most powerful life-giver, it is also a killer of dangerous anaerobic infectious pathogens. These microorganisms can’t survive where there are high levels of oxygen.

You can see why it’s so important to have high levels of nitric oxide. Unfortunately, your body’s production of NO drops rapidly as you age. By the time you’re 50, you produce only about half as much as when you were in your 20s.

And while there aren’t any nitric oxide supplements you can take, there are nutrients that can convert to NO in your body.

How to Boost Nitric Oxide Naturally

Here are three easy ways I recommend to help my patients boost their nitric oxide levels to keep their immune system fighting:

  1. Boost nitric oxide with these amino acids. L-arginine is responsible for 70% of the nitric oxide produced by your body. But there’s a problem with the typical L-arginine you find on drug store shelves… It doesn’t stay in your blood for very long. I suggest including a specialized form of L-arginine called arginine alpha-ketoglutarate (AAKG). In studies, this modified version increases the amount of NO by 85%.4

     
    I tell my patients to take 1 gram of AAKG along with 6,000 mg of L-arginine. Take it in powder form. Powders hold 150% of what a capsule can. The best time to supplement is first thing in the morning.

    Then add in L-citrulline. There’s another amino acid you should take along with your L-arginine. After you’ve been using L-arginine for a while, an enzyme starts blocking the NO conversion. That’s why you need citrulline. It blocks the enzyme so L-arginine continues to make NO.

    Take L-arginine and citrulline in a 6-to-1 ratio. I recommend daily doses of 6,000 mg of L-arginine and 1,000 mg of citrulline.

  2. Go for the power of pomegranate. This fruit has been shown to increase nitric oxide in all of your blood vessels. Look for cold-pressed, organic pomegranate juice with no added syrups or sweeteners. I recommend drinking two ounces of the juice a day. And eat the seeds, either fresh or dried. Throw a handful on top of salads or in your yogurt or smoothie.

    3.  

  3. Eat some beetroot. When you eat beetroot, it mixes with your saliva and bacteria on your tongue. This combo turns into nitric oxide. You can get the most out of beetroot by chewing it raw. If that doesn’t appeal to you, supplement with 1 gram of beet juice root powder once a day or throw the root in your blender.

Fresh Beetroot and Vegetable Juice

This is how I enjoy getting my daily beetroot:

I enjoy the health benefits of nitric oxide from a glass of beetroot juice.

Ingredients:

  • 1 organic beetroot
  • 2 raw organic carrots
  • ½ organic cucumber
  • 3 stalks of organic celery
  • 1 fresh lemon

Directions:

  1. Wash and dry all ingredients. Peel and cut the beetroot into small pieces.
  2. Chop everything into small pieces and place in a blender.
  3. Add one cup water. Squeeze the juice of the lemon over the vegetables.
  4. Blend until smooth and enjoy.

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears, MD, CNS

1. Jung K, et al. “Nitric oxide is elicited and inhibits viral replication in pigs infected with porcine respiratory coronavirus but not porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus.” Vet Immunol Immunopathol. 2010;136(3):335-339.
2. Tripathi P, et al. “The role of nitric oxide in inflammatory reactions.” FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol. 2007;51(3):443-452.
3. Åkerström S, et al. “Nitric oxide inhibits the replication cycle of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus.” J Virol. 2005;79(3):1966-1669.
4. Reid J, et al. “Effects of 7 days of arginine-alpha-ketoglutarate supplementation using NO2 platinum on brachial artery blood flow and the levels of plasma L-arginine, nitric oxide, and eNOS after resistance exercise.” J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2010;7(Suppl 1):P22.