As we age, one of the significant yet often overlooked changes in our bodies is the decline in nitric oxide production. This molecule is crucial for cardiovascular, bone, and metabolic health. Understanding this process and taking proactive steps can help protect your health and slow age-related decline.
What is Nitric Oxide, and Why Does It Decline?
Nitric oxide is a signalling molecule essential for vascular health, bone strength, and metabolism. Unfortunately, its production declines by up to 75% by age 60 due to factors like endothelial dysfunction (the lining of blood vessels), reduced enzyme activity, oxidative stress, and changes in diet and microbiome.
Why Nitric Oxide is Essential for Bone, Muscle, and Metabolic Health
- Bone Health: Nitric oxide supports bone density and strength by aiding osteoblasts and suppressing osteoclasts, enhancing the bone’s response to mechanical loading, and improving blood flow to bones.
- Metabolic Health: It improves insulin sensitivity, regulates blood sugar levels, enhances vascular function, and supports fat metabolism and muscle oxygenation during exercise.
- Muscle Health: Nitric oxide enhances blood flow, aids glucose uptake, and helps muscle recovery by removing metabolic byproducts like lactic acid.
How to Prevent Nitric Oxide Decline
- Eat Nitric Oxide Boosting Foods: Include nitrate-rich foods like beets, spinach, arugula, kale, and Swiss chard. Foods rich in L-arginine (nuts, seeds, dairy, meat) and L-citrulline (watermelon, cucumber, pumpkin) also support nitric oxide production.
- Stay Active: High-impact exercises and heavy lifting can boost nitric oxide production in the body, supporting bone density and metabolism by stimulating endothelial cells that line blood vessels to produce more nitric oxide. Programs like OsteoStrong can amplify your body’s natural nitric oxide production through emulated high-impact mechanical loading which also strengthen bones and muscles to improve metabolic function, making the program a game-changer for combating osteoporosis and metabolic syndrome.
- Support Your Gut and Oral Health: Maintain a healthy gut microbiome and avoid antibacterial mouthwashes to enhance nitrate conversion.
- Manage Stress and Avoid Smoking and Excessive Alcohol: These factors impair nitric oxide production. Stress management techniques and moderate alcohol consumption can help.
The Nutritional Paradox: The Benefits and Risks of High-Nitrate, High-Oxalate Foods
Spinach and beets are high in nitrates but also in oxalates, which can increase risks of kidney stones and arthritis symptoms. While some suggest oxalates may contribute to leaky gut, this is not widely supported by the scientific community. Those with specific health concerns should limit high-oxalate foods and seek medical advice.
To reduce oxalates while boosting nitric oxide, choose low-oxalate, nitrate-rich foods like arugula, lettuce, celery, and cucumber, or L-citrulline sources like watermelon and pumpkin. Antioxidant-rich options like pomegranate and blueberries also help. Strategies include boiling high-oxalate vegetables, staying hydrated, and pairing nitrates with calcium to prevent oxalate absorption.
Should You Take Nitrate Supplements?
While supplements like Beetroot Extract, L-arginine and L-citrulline show promise for cardiovascular and muscle health, their direct impact on bone health is less clear. More research is needed to establish their efficacy for bone density and fracture risk.
Take Charge of Your Health Today
Aging doesn’t have to mean inevitable decline. By making intentional dietary choices and lifestyle changes like incorporating OsteoStrong sessions into your weekly routine, you can maintain healthy nitric oxide levels, supporting strong bones, a healthy metabolism, and a higher quality of life.
Start boosting your nitric oxide production today and provide your body with the foundation it needs for lifelong health.
