Nitric Oxide Foods!

Nitric Oxide Molecule

The core of a good cardiovascular program is learning how to choose nitric oxide foods and supplements that will enhance your endothelium’s ability to create nitric oxide – the master signaling molecule of your entire cardiovascular system. Just in this first line I introduced you to several key physiological terms that will absolutely reduce your risk for heart disease if you know how to maximize the benefits of nitric oxide foods.

Let’s start with your endothelium. This organ is now considered to be the largest secreting organ in your body.  Unfortunately, most people have never heard of it, yet your endothelium lines all of your cardiovascular system.  The inside of your heart, arteries, and veins are all lined by this one-celled thick organ.  Your capillaries are just extensions of your endothelium.  Most vascular researchers today believe that your endothelium ultimately controls most of your cardiovascular system. And one of its functions is to take nitric oxide foods and convert them into nitric oxide.

Nitric oxide is your body’s most powerful vasodilator. This means that it relaxes the smooth muscle of your vascular wall to properly control your blood pressure.  Nitric oxide is a short-lived gas that contains a single nitrogen and oxygen atom that, when combined together, act as a signaling molecule.  A signaling molecule is used by your body to cause something else to occur.  In addition to helping you maintain a normal blood pressure, your cardiovascular system uses nitric oxide to keep your blood platelet cells from sticking together to prevent strokes and heart attacks.  Nitric oxide is also used to heal and repair damage to the endothelium.

But it doesn’t end there. Your nervous system uses nitric oxide as a neurotransmitter to transmit impulses between nerve cells. Your immune system uses nitric oxide to destroy infectious agents like bacteria, viruses, and tumors.  In fact there is not a cell, tissue, or organ in your body that is not directly or indirectly impacted by nitric oxide.  You could not live without it and the 1998 Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to three American researchers who discovered how the endothelium produces this life-saving and live-enhancing gas called nitric oxide.

Given this information wouldn’t it make sense to learn which nitric oxide foods will nourish your endothelium for improved nitric oxide production?

Nitric Oxide Foods – What Are They?

When we look at nitric oxide foods we’re looking for foods that contain the amino acids L-arginine and L-citrulline.  Technically speaking your endothelium uses L-arginine to create nitric oxide.  The reason why I include L-citrulline is because this amino acid will recycle L-arginine to turbo charge your production of nitric oxide.  We’ll talk about this in just a little bit.

To help you better understand which foods are good nitric oxide foods I’ve created a popular YouTube video. Just click here to watch! For those who would prefer to read let me share the following information:

Most research indicates that for you to receive a therapeutic benefit from L-arginine you need to consume at least 5 grams of this amino acid at one time. So I selected 4 nitric oxide foods that I thought would be common food choices.  I did the math conversions to look at how much of these nitric oxide foods you would need to eat to take in 5 grams of L-arginine.  I also looked at the number of calories and grams of fat it would bring into your body.  Peanuts provide the smallest quantity of food but they pack on 70 grams of fat and 918 calories.  Beans, tuna, or chicken breasts are your better choices but you would need to consume at least:

  • one can of beans or
  • two cans of tuna or
  • almost 1 pound of chicken to get a therapeutic benefit.

The other amino acid is L-citrulline. There is not much of a choice in nitric oxide foods for this amino acid.  Watermelon is your one and only good food choice.  Unfortunately, 60% of the L-citrulline is contained in the rind portion of the watermelon which most people never eat.  You would have to eat over a pound of watermelon to get even close to the amount of L-citrulline your body would need for a therapeutic benefit.

When people realize all the food they need to eat, and the limited menu they have to choose from, they begin to ask the question:

Is it better to get these critical amino acids through nitric oxide foods or supplementation?

Comparing costs between nitric oxide foods and supplementation, your total daily food cost could range from $2.50 to $7.00 depending on whether it’s organic or processed food.  Your supplement cost is usually around $2.00 or less.

So supplementation costs you less and doesn’t have the added concern of fat grams and calories to your diet.  You just need to make sure you choose a good supplement company because the quality of the L-arginine and L-citrulline makes a huge difference.  To help you better understand this please click on my YouTube video.

How Long Will Nitric Oxide Foods Provide a Benefit?

Now, I need to make one more important point about nitric oxide foods and supplements as it applies to these two amino acids.

When you bring in a therapeutic level of L-arginine, it typically results in a 30 minute to 2 hour window of improved nitric oxide production.  When you combine your L-arginine with L-citrulline, you increase this therapeutic production of nitric oxide to 24 to 36 hours.  This has huge health benefits in helping you to control your blood pressure and repairing the damage done to the endothelium.

This is so important that the 1998 Nobel Laureate Dr. Louis J. Ignarro had this to say in his 2005 bestseller NO More Heart Disease:

Any supplement program that does not contain L-citrulline and antioxidants to augment the L-arginine – and most on the market do not – is missing out on a major piece of the potential of nitric oxide to improve your cardiovascular health.”

Learning how to properly nourish, heal, and support your endothelium through proper nitric oxide foods and supplements is a much more cost effective way in reducing the risk factors for cardiovascular disease.  This is especially important for those who have high blood pressure.  Since 33 percent of the American adult population has high blood pressure, and 25 percent are in the pre-hypertensive condition, choosing nitric oxide foods and supplements could be a tremendous health strategy for the prevention of heart disease.

Together we can work to save a million lives by teaching them the benefits of nitric oxide foods!

Dan Hammer

Dan Hammer has a background in biology, chemistry, and exercise physiology.  He used to run one of the largest health club operations in the Chicago area and has been helping people with their wellness issues for more than 25 years.

The information contained in this article is for general information purposes only and never as a substitute for professional medical advice or medical exam.  The information about nitric oxide foods has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and should not be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease without the supervision of a qualified medical doctor.

Vitamin D3 Benefits Over Vitamin D2!

Vitamin D3 Model

Recent research continues to show the importance of Vitamin D but few understand the difference between vitamin D3 benefits over vitamin D2. 

Yes, there are two forms of vitamin D. Vitamin D2 is manufactured by plants or fungus and is typically used to fortified foods like milk, cereals, and juices. This form of vitamin D is called Ergocalciferol.  

Vitamin D3 is called Cholecalciferol and is synthesized by humans and animals from sunlight. When taken in supplement form it has a longer shelf life and is better for the human body. In a recently published study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, vitamin D3 was shown to be 87% more effective in raising vitamin D levels in the blood over vitamin D2. According to the lead researcher Dr. Robert Heaney (Creigton University School of Medicine in Omaha, Nebraska),  

Given its greater potency, D3 should be the preferred treatment option when correcting vitamin D deficiency.” 

Their research showed that vitamin D3 produced significantly greater bioavailability and reserve storage than vitamin D2. 

Vitamin D3 Benefits 

As the body of scientific research continues to grow, the number of health benefits from vitamin D3 also grows. Here is a brief summary of some of the new vitamin D3 benefits: 

Helps to Maintain Calcium Balance in the Bloodstream – Vitally important to cardiovascular health is the proper maintenance of your blood calcium levels. This helps to prevent calcification of the vascular wall, which leads to arteriosclerosis. Additionally, your endothelial cells, which line all of your cardiovascular system, need calcium to be able to convert the amino acid L-arginine into nitric oxide – the master signaling molecule of your entire cardiovascular system.  

Helps in Blood Pressure Regulation – Recent studies have shown that vitamin D3 may decrease the risk for high blood pressure. This would make sense since proper blood calcium levels are needed to initiate the production of nitric oxide from L-arginine. Since nitric oxide is the body’s most powerful vasodilator, it is used to relax the vascular wall to help control blood pressure. 

Has a Role in Insulin Secretion – When conditions are right for increased insulin demand, vitamin D3 can play a pivotal part in insulin secretion.  

Boosts Your Immunity – Studies are showing vitamin D3 to be a potent immune system modulator to help enhance your immunity while helping to inhibit the development of autoimmunity.  

Aids in Cell Differentiation – Cell differentiation is needed to help cells form for specific functions in your body. While cellular differentiation is needed for growth and wound healing, uncontrolled proliferation of cells can lead to cancer. The active form of vitamin D3 inhibits this proliferation and stimulates cell differentiation. 

Prevention of Osteoporosis – Vitamin D3 is recognized as the best form for balancing the amount of calcium and phosphorous within your bloodstream. This is essential for bone production and development.  

Vitamin D3 Benefits versus Toxicity 

There is an ongoing debate regarding vitamin D3 benefits versus toxicity resulting from vitamin D overdose. Because of this the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine has established a tolerable upper intake level of 2000 IU of vitamin D3. However, many research studies suggest that this upper intake level of 2000 IU is very conservative and that healthy people could increase their intake levels to 10,000 IU/day without side effects.  

If you have questions in this area, then work with your health care provider to find the vitamin D3 intake that will help to bring your blood concentrations of 25(OH)D, which is the circulating vitamin D metabolite that serves as the most frequently measured indicator of vitamin D status, into a healthy range.  

Vitamin D3 Benefits Increase Through the Method of Absorption 

If you are going to use vitamin D3 supplements to improve your vitamin D3 benefits then make sure that the product you use is either a spray or chewable supplement. This dramatically increases absorption over those supplements that you swallow. By using the spray or chewable supplements you will achieve better results in a shorter period of time. 

As you hear more and more research toting the health benefits of vitamin D, please make sure that you choose a supplement that contains vitamin D3 in a chewable form. You will improve both your absorption and effectiveness in raising this needed nutrient in your bloodstream.  

Together we can work to save a million lives! 

Dan Hammer 

Dan Hammer has a background in biology, chemistry, and exercise physiology. He used to run one of the largest health club operations in the Chicagoland area and has been helping people with their wellness issues for more than 25 years.  

The information contained in this article is for general information purposes only and never as a substitute for professional medical advice or medical exam. The information about vitamin D3 benefits has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and should not be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease without the supervision of a qualified medical doctor.

Dr. Oz on L-Arginine!

 

Dr. Oz on L-Arginine

Recently Dr. Oz has emphasize the need for L-Arginine supplementation for improved cardiovascular health and overall wellness. Here is a recent video of both Dr. Oz and Dr. Mercola talking about how important L-Arginine is in maintaining the flexibility and integrity of the vascular system. Most of Dr. Oz and his discussion on L-Arginine is in the second half of this video:

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/alternative-health-controversy-pt-3 

If you watched and listened to Dr. Oz and Dr. Mercola, they only talk about the essential amino acid L-Arginine. Technically they are correct from the standpoint of your endothelial cells using L-Arginine to create nitric oxide. Because nitric oxide relaxes the smooth muscle of the vascular wall to help maintain proper blood pressure, keeps blood platelet cells from sticking together to prevent heart attacks and stroke, and repairs the damage done to the endothelium to prevent atherosclerosis and arteriosclerosis, what Dr. Oz tells us about L-Arginine is critically important. But there are some other ingredients that need to be part of the equation, especially if you want to create nitric oxide in sufficient amounts to be therapeutic to your cardiovascular system. 

Dr. Oz, L-Arginine, and an Additional Key Ingredient! 

One of those ingredients needs to be the amino acid L-Citrulline. L-Citrulline recycles L-Arginine to have a synergistic effect on extending the endothelium’s ability to properly produce nitric oxide. Here’s what I mean. 

If you consume a therapeutic level of L-Arginine you will typically get a 30 minute to 2 hour window of improved nitric oxide production resulting in a small window of improved circulation. 

What Dr. Oz doesn’t tell you is critically important. If you combine your L-Arginine with a therapeutic level of L-Citrulline then you will increase this window of improved nitric oxide production to a 24 to 36 hour window. That’s huge especially in helping to repair your endothelium so that you can heal your vascular wall for long term improvements in your circulation. 

This means that you need both of these amino acids in sufficient quantities to truly obtain a benefit. To help you better understand this I’d like to provide two quotes from Dr. Louis J. Ignarro. Dr. Ignarro won the 1998 Nobel Prize in Medicine, along with two other American researchers, for discovering how your endothelium converts the essential amino acid L-Arginine into nitric oxide – the most powerful signaling molecule of your entire cardiovascular system. These quotes are taking from his 2005 bestseller NO More Heart Disease. 

My research shows that L-arginine in doses smaller than 4 to 6 grams produces almost zero increase in NO, so it is in essence an ‘all or nothing’ proposition – you must receive the full dose of L-arginine.” 

It is the synergy between the L-arginine (in a large enough dose), the L-citrulline, and the key antioxidants that creates dramatic increases in your body’s nitric oxide production. Without the proper combination of these nutrients, which so many other programs lack, you will receive little to no benefit from NO therapy.” 

Dr. Oz Doesn’t Tell You How Much L-Arginine to Use! 

While there is more I could say about additional ingredients, here are the two most important factors you need to consider in evaluating an L-Arginine product: 

  1. Does it include L-Citrulline? If it doesn’t, then you are wasting your time and money.
  2. Does it include sufficient amounts of both L-Arginine and L-Citrulline to create a synergistic and therapeutic benefit? According to Dr. Ignarro you need 4-6 grams of L-Arginine and 200 to 1000 mg of L-Citrulline to have a therapeutic effect. Anything less and you’re not going to get improved nitric oxide production. 

According to Dr. Ignarro, “Nitric oxide is the body’s natural cardiovascular wonder drug.” But for you to get a therapeutic effect to aid you in improving the health of your cardiovascular system, then you need to be taking both L-Arginine and L-Citrulline in sufficient quantities.  

There’s much more that could be said about the creation of nitric oxide; such as the need for Folic Acid and other antioxidants to enhance nitric oxide production over a long period leading to therapeutic benefits. I’ve prepared two videos to help you better understand this. My next post will highlight these two videos. The first video covers which foods will help you obtain L-Arginine, L-Citrulline, and Folic Acid since these three are critically important in helping your endothelium properly produce nitric oxide. The second video will cover whether it is better to get your L-Arginine, L-Citrulline, and Folic Acid through food or supplementation.

If you would like to order Dr. Ignarro’s book NO More Heart Disease then please click here!  

Together we can work to save a million lives by help to education others about what was said by Dr. Oz on L-Arginine but also including the other key nutrients for improved nitric oxide production! 

Dan Hammer 

Dan Hammer has a background in biology, chemistry, and exercise physiology. He used to run one of the largest health club operations in the Chicagoland area and has been helping people with their wellness issues for more than 25 years.  

The information contained in this article is for general information purposes only and never as a substitute for professional medical advice or medical exam. The information about Dr. Oz on L-Arginine has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and should not be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease without the supervision of a qualified medical doctor.

Arteriosclerosis and Atherosclerosis – General Overview!

AtherosclerosisThere is a lot of confusion between arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis but one thing is certain, combined they account for nearly 75% of all deaths from heart disease! This unpleasant statistic comes from the American Heart Association 2004 Heart and Stroke Statistical Update. In the United States alone, approximately 1.5 million heart attacks occur annually.

The vast majority of these heart attacks are

caused by complications associated with

arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis.


Most people are familiar with heart attacks or strokes. You likely have a family member or friend who either suffers from the consequences of one or has died due to one. Because of this a great deal of emphasis is placed on preventing heart attacks and strokes. While this is important, the real emphasis should be put upon preventing arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis because they are the underlying cause of heart attacks and strokes.

To best address this problem we need to clearly define arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis. Arteriosclerosis commonly refers to those diseases in which the arterial wall thickens and loses its elasticity. Atherosclerosis is one of those diseases. More specifically atherosclerosis refers to the formation of plaque-like deposits consisting of cholesterol and other substances on the arterial walls. These deposits become hardened by fibrous tissue and calcification. This can lead to arteriosclerosis or hardening of the arteries. For simplicity the following definitions will be used:

  • Arteriosclerosis is any disease process that leads to the abnormal thickening and hardening of the arterial walls.

  • Atherosclerosis is the disease process that causes plaque formations to develop on the interior surface of the arterial walls.

Both arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis cause problems and complication to blood flow. Arteriosclerosis reduces the elasticity of the vascular wall leading to high blood pressure. Atherosclerosis reduces the interior space of the artery leading to reduced blood flow. Reduced blood flow reduces the ability of your cardiovascular system to deliver needed oxygen and nutrients as well as remove waste products from cellular respiration. This then affects the organs’ ability to function optimally.

The most common arteries affected are those in the brain, heart, kidneys, abdominal aorta, carotid artery, and legs. This can then lead to a whole host of symptoms like leg pain, muscular weakness, numbness, cramps, dizziness, chest pain, poor wound healing, and erectile dysfunction.

As atherosclerosis progresses in its narrowing of the arterial space it not only reduces blood flow but it also increases the potential for blood clots to form as well as plaque-like deposits breaking off. This can then cause complete blockages resulting in the common life-threatening diseases we call heart attacks and strokes.

Both arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis are progressive diseases. This means that they didn’t develop over a short period of time like an infection but they develop over a long period of time. For many in the United States, this disease process can start in early childhood and progressively become more severe as the person ages.

Risk Factors That Can Lead to Arteriosclerosis and Atherosclerosis!

There are certain risk factors that contribute to the development of both arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis. These risk factors are commonly categorized as “those that can be changed” and “those that cannot”. Here are the risk factors that can be changed:

  • High blood pressure

  • High cholesterol levels, especially LDL cholesterol or low-density lipoprotein cholesterol commonly referred to as “Bad Cholesterol”

  • Cigarette smoking

  • Diabetes

  • Obesity

  • Lack of exercise

  • Western diet, which is excessive in saturated fat from meat, dairy products, eggs, and fast food combined with an inadequate intake in fruits, vegetables, and fish.

These are the risk factors that cannot be changed:

  • Advancing age

  • Being male unless you are a women who has reached menopause.

  • Have a family history of heart disease and stroke especially if it’s based on genetics.

  • African American since this population group has a historically high degree of high blood pressure and diabetes leading to premature stroke, heart attack, congestive heart failure, and death.

As I gathered data for this article many of the websites made the following comment – “The exact cause of arteriosclerosis is not known.”

This author would like to disagree with that statement.

The exact cause of arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis is known!

It is damage to the endothelial cells that line all of your cardiovascular system which reduces their ability to properly produce nitric oxide, the master signaling molecule of the cardiovascular system.

We will examine this statement and the standard treatment programs used for these cardiovascular diseases in our next article entitled “Arteriosclerosis and Atherosclerosis – Treatment Programs!”

Together we can work to save a million lives!

Dan Hammer

Dan Hammer has a background in biology, chemistry, and exercise physiology. He used to run one of the largest health club operations in the Chicagoland area and has been helping people with their wellness issues for more than 25 years.

The information contained in this article is for general information purposes only and never as a substitute for professional medical advice or medical exam. The information about Atherosclerosis and Arteriosclerosis contained in this article has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and should not be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease without the supervision of a qualified medical doctor.