Nitric Oxide (NO)

Nitric Oxide (NO) supplements recently have been making a buzz in the bodybuilding community. Ask any bodybuilder and they cantell you a ton of information on protein powder and creatine.
But when it comes to NO, little is still known on this supplement. Little do people know that it has many advantages in your favor to help with your physique and recovery time. I’m hoping this information will get you more informed on NO and what it can offer.
So what is NO?
Basically, it’s the compound made up of 1 oxygen and 1 nitrogen atom. The body must create NO from Arginine (an amino acid). Another contributor to NO creation is called Nitric Oxide Synthase (NOS). When these 2 come in contact, the reaction creates Nitric Oxide.
What does NO do?
NO travels through the body from cell to cell directing and ordering many functions within the body. In a giving situation, NO can act as a
- Hormone
- Neurotransmitter
- Intracellular messenger
For Bodybuilding purposes however, a lot of emphasis is put on intracellular messenger because it focuses on blood flow. The better your blood flow, the faster and more efficient nutrients can get to their destination.
How Does it Work?
Endothelial cells line the inside of blood vessels which produces NO. With stimulation of endothelial cells, it synthesizes and releases NO. Once this happens, NO diffuses across the Endothelial cell membranes into a smooth muscle tissue of the blood vessels, making them relax and widen. This process is called vasodilation. The end results increases the blood flow to stimulated areas, which causes your muscles to get “pumped” and keeping them that way for about 40 mins there after.
So what causes the muscles to get “pumped”? The body has a failsafe mechanism from preventing the decline of muscle function and performance. Blood carries the nutrients along with…
- Amino Acid’s
- Creatine
- Glucose
- Oxygen
These are vital to the muscles for production, growth, and maintenance. Also, blood will carry away any byproducts of metabolism that makes the muscle tired and hinders performance. As a result, the increasing blood flow helps muscle growth, strength development, and recuperation.
Does it have any Limitations?
One would be that is your supply of arginine and NOS Enzymes are to low; you will be limited to how much NO the body will produce. Unfortunately, there are so many enzymes that can be present at a giving time. Flooding your body with to much arginine can be overwhelming. However, there are a couple ways to combat low NOS enzyme Levels.
- Supplement called Pycnogenol [R] and Ginsenosides will both stimulate and enhance the efficiency of NOS Enzymes
- Take a NO supplement of choice that is time-released
If you do that, your body will be able to generate and sustain
NO production longer along with your bodies “muscle pump”. NO supplements come in 2 different forms, Powder and Capsules. Powder is good because you can mix it with your protein powder to get that double effect. The capsules are good because it usually starts working within minutes after taken them. A fair warning though, you should never take more than the recommend dosage.
With this info, you should be able to increase your NO production. I hope this will clear up and questions or concerns you had about NO supplements.
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