Nitric Oxide Foods!

Posted on June 27, 2011 by Dan Hammer

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.

How to Compare L-Arginine Supplements!

Posted on March 3, 2011 by Dan Hammer

L-Arginine supplements have long been a part of the world of body building and strength training. Just recently Dr. Oz has been talking about L-Arginine supplements for cardiovascular health. Because of this there is a growing interest in the general public about L-Arginine supplements. Unfortunately, not all of the correct information is being given to help consumers figure out how to choose the best L-Arginine Supplements to help them with their cardiovascular health.

This Video Provides Guidelines on How to Compare L-Arginine Supplements!

There are five key areas to consider when you’re choosing L-Arginine Supplements. They are: Ingredients, Price, Quality Assurance, Clinical Studies, and Guarantee. This video covers all five areas and will be a definitive guide for helping you choose the best in L-Arginine Supplements.

Properly Formulated L-Arginine Supplements Create Nitric Oxide!

The main reason for taking L-Arginine Supplements is to effectively create nitric oxide – the master signaling molecule of your entire cardiovascular system. As you learned in the video above your endothelium, which lines all of your cardiovascular system, is a multi-functioning organ. It’s involved in metabolic, immunologic, and cardiovascular functions. One of its primary functions is to properly produce nitric oxide.

Specific to your cardiovascular system, nitric oxide is critically important for the proper regulation of blood pressure, helps to prevent strokes and heart attacks by keeping blood platelet cells from sticking together, and helps to repair the endothelium to keep it healthy and free from plaque formations and calcification. For men, nitric oxide is needed for an erection. No nitric oxide no sex!

As this Nobel Prize winning information is finally reaching the general public there has been an ever increasing interest in L-Arginine supplements. But not all L-Arginine supplements are equally effective in creating nitric oxide.

Key Questions to Ask in Choosing L-Arginine Supplements!

If you want to improve the health of your endothelium and nourish it properly for improved nitric oxide production, then choosing your L-Arginine supplements is critical to helping you achieve positive results. Here are six key questions to ask in making your choice on L-Arginine supplements:

Does it include L-citrulline? If it doesn’t, then you’re wasting your time and money.
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.
What are the quality-control standards set by the manufacture? This is important to guarantee consistency and potency in the manufactured product.
Who is the product formulator and do they have experience in L-Arginine / L-Citrulline therapy?
Does the L-Arginine Supplement have any clinical studies to back up its effectiveness?
Does the L-Arginine Supplement offer a 100% Money Back Satisfaction Guarantee?

I hope this information on L-Arginine supplements will help you cut through the wild claims made by product manufacturers, because this area of natural health can help you improve your cardiovascular health.

It is important to note that Nobel Prize winning science has clearly shown nitric oxide to be the body’s natural cardiovascular wonder drug. Now it’s important to choose the L-Arginine supplements that will help you achieve the highest therapeutic benefit for your cardiovascular system.

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 on how to compare L-arginine supplements 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.

Foods and Supplements for Nitric Oxide!

Posted on February 21, 2011 by Dan Hammer

Nitric Oxide Molecule

The latest health trend has been the emerging science of nitric oxide production.

While foods and supplements for nitric oxide production has been part of the body building world, it’s now becoming popular for cardiovascular health.

It’s about time!

The 1998 Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to three American researchers who discovery on how your endothelium, which lines all of your cardiovascular system, converts the amino acid L-Arginine into nitric oxide – the master signaling molecule of your entire cardiovascular system. Recently, Dr. Oz has been promoting L-Arginine supplementation has a key factor for improving cardiovascular health.

While L-arginine is critical to nitric oxide production, the amino acid L-citrulline is also extremely important. In fact, most nitric oxide researchers will tell you that L-Citrulline is equally, maybe in more important, than L-Arginine. The reason why is L-Citrulline recycles L-Arginine to have a synergistic effect on extending the endothelium’s ability to properly produce nitric oxide. Here’s the difference between L-Arginine alone versus the two in combination with each other:

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.
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 for long term improvements in your circulation.

Dr. Louis J. Ignarro, one of the 1998 Nobel Laureates in Medicine, established the following quantities needed for these two amino acids. 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. The following video will help you understand how much food this represents. It was originally done for our series on sickle cell anemia but it directly applies to this discussion.

Foods That Contain L-Arginine, L-Citrulline, and Folic Acid for the Creation of Nitric Oxide!

As you can see by the above video food brings with it a cost in both quantity and calories. The following video helps to take this information and compare it to the dollar cost of using supplementation to help create a therapeutic level of nitric oxide production.

Food vs. Supplementation for the Creation of Nitric Oxide!

Clearly supplementation is a more cost effective approach to addressing improved nitric oxide production. I’m in the process of preparing a new video to help you properly analyze this growing world of nitric oxide supplements. It will help you ask the right questions and look for the right information so that you can choose supplements that will give you great value and lead to real improvements to the cardiovascular system.

If you’re interested the product I highlighted at the end of the above video, then please check out ProArgi-9 Plus. It’s a clinically proven product that can repair and nourish the endothelium for improved nitric oxide production leading to significant cardiovascular improvements.

Together we can work to save a million lives through the most cost effective method for the creation of nitric oxide!

Dan Hammer

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 foods and supplements for nitric oxide 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!

Posted on February 21, 2011 by Dan Hammer

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:

Does it include L-Citrulline? If it doesn’t, then you are wasting your time and money.
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

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.

Alzheimer’s and Cardiovascular Disease Part 2!

Posted on January 7, 2011 by Dan Hammer

As we’ve seen from the previous post, there is a natural connection between Alzheimer’s and cardiovascular disease. In your skull is a 3 pound wonder that has 100 billion neurons sending each other electrical and chemical signals in an orchestrated pattern that creates memories and allows for learning.

Each nerve cell communicates with many other neurons to form networks. These networks of neurons have special jobs. Some help us to see, hear, and breathe. Other networks are involved in thinking, learning, and remembering. To keep everything running requires large amounts of nutrients and oxygen.

It’s your cardiovascular system that will deliver the needed resources for brain function. If your circulation is compromised then you will compromise brain function. Maybe you’ve experienced first hand the emotional and financial costs of being a caregiver to a loved one who has Alzheimer’s or any other form of dementia. Although there are no current cures for Alzheimer’s, there are steps you can take to prevent this dreaded disease.

How to Prevent Alzheimer’s and Cardiovascular Disease Naturally!

In our previous post we examined how folic acid, omega-3 fatty acids, and beta carotene can significantly reduce your risks. In this video we’re going to look at Iron and the Mediterranean diet as part of the mix. Our goal is to give you a game plan for the prevention of Alzheimer’s and cardiovascular disease since they are strongly related.

We’re also going to examine how cholesterol, diabetes, and aerobic exercise play a role in your cognitive health. After these videos were produced, we received the Health & Nutrition Letter Volume 10G from Tufts University. Their lead article was “Eat Like a Mediterranean to Protect Your Aging Brain.” The following two quotes will reinforce the information you are about to learn in this next video:

“In an updated analysis of that earlier study of 1,880 older New Yorkers, those who most closely followed a Mediterranean-style diet were at 40% lower risk of Alzheimer’s over 5.4 years than those with lowest adherence.”

“The new analysis also looked at physical activity, finding that participants with the highest level of activity were at 33% lower risk of Alzheimer’s than the least-active subjects. . . that the association of physical activity with Alzheimer’s disease risk was independent to that of the diet.”

This video will also introduce you to an organ in your cardiovascular system

that makes all the difference in the prevention of Alzheimer’s

and cardiovascular disease since they are strongly related:

Alzheimer’s and Cardiovascular Disease Video 3

A Concise Game Plan to Prevent Alzheimer’s and Cardiovascular Disease Naturally!

In this final video we’re going to put all the pieces together into a concise plan of action. You’re going to learn how:

You need to repair and nourish your endothelial cells to improve their ability to properly produce nitric oxide – the master signaling molecule of your entire cardiovascular system!
The amino acids L-arginine and L-citrulline need to be part of your daily diet!
Green vegetables are key to improved brain health!
You need to consume at least 400 micrograms of folic acid on a daily basis.
Omega-3 fatty acids make such a difference!
A yearly physical can help you pay attention to your blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, and iron levels!
Exercise can improve brain function!

Watch and listen as we help you focus this information into a powerful plan of action that everyone can do. This plan of action will significantly reduce the risk for Alzheimer’s and cardiovascular disease:

Alzheimer’s and Cardiovascular Disease Video 4

You Can Repair and Nourish Your Endothelium to Help Reduce the Risks for Alzheimer’s and Cardiovascular Disease!

As our last video showed, here is your best plan of action:

Take ProArgi-9 Plus on a Daily Basis!
Adopt a Mediterranean Diet Lifestyle!
Exercise at Least 3 Times per Week!
Get a Yearly Physical!

Over the course of these four videos we have given you a lot of information and options for improving brain health and function. We have tried to simplify the information into a doable plan of action. One that has the potential to reduce your risk for Alzheimer’s and cardiovascular disease. The longer you apply this plan the greater the benefit. Now it’s up to you to make the difference in how you and your brain age.

If you found the above videos helpful, then please share this information on Twitter and Facebook so that others can benefit.

Together we can work to save a million lives!

Dan Hammer

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 Alzheimer’s and cardiovascular disease 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.

What Foods Contain L-Arginine and L-Citrulline?

Posted on April 21, 2010 by Dan Hammer

I’ve written many articles about the need for L-arginine and L-citrulline. How critical they are for nitric oxide production. How your endothelial cells use these two amino acids to create nitric oxide, the master signaling molecule of your cardiovascular system.

Quite frankly, you could not live without nitric oxide. It’s a critical molecule in many biological functions but especially for good cardiovascular health. So, I’m often asked:

What foods can I eat that contain L-arginine and L-citrulline?

To answer that question I went shopping, bought some foods and put together the following video. Enjoy the video and I’ll have some observations to make after you watch it:

In preparing this video I came across an excellent chart that lists food sources high in the amino acid L-arginine. I’ll provide you a link to this chart at the end of this article. It was an eye opener, even for me. It changed my thinking on dairy products and it even helped me to discover the reason why Rocky Balboa was able to beat Apollo Creed in the Rocky movies. Let’s start with some observations.

Observation 1 – Plant based foods are a better source of L-arginine then animal products.

The chart I found lists the L-arginine content in 100 grams of food. 100 grams is just slightly less than a ¼ pound. You’ll note that if you wanted to get 1 gram of L-arginine or more in your diet, there are 15 choices for plant products but only 5 choices for animal products.

Observation 2 – Much of the literature recommends dairy products as a good source of L-arginine yet it’s listed last on the chart.

You would have to drink 44 ounces or just slightly less than 1 ½ quarts of milk to get 1 gram of L-arginine. Not good for those who are lactose intolerant.

Observation 3 – 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 6 food items from the list that I thought would be common food choices. I did the math conversations to look at how much food 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. Here’s what I discovered and what I based most of the above video on:

Peanuts – 6 oz / .36 lb = 918 calories and 70 g of fat

Beans – 12 oz / .75 lb = 338 calories and 1.5 g of fat

Tuna – 10 oz / .63 lb = 528 calories and 18 g of fat

Chicken Breast – 15 oz / .92 lb = 756 calories and 5 g of fat

Salmon – 15 oz / .92 lb = 865 calories and 42 g of fat

Eggs (Whole, Raw) – 21 oz / 1.34 lbs = 915 calories and 55 g of fat

Observation 4 – Now you can see why weight lifters choose beans, tuna, and chicken breasts as their primary source of protein. It provides them with the proper amount of L-arginine with the least number of calories and grams of fat. Even though peanuts have a higher concentration of L-arginine when you factor in calories and grams of fat it’s not the first choice if you need to watch you weight.

How Rocky Balboa Beat Apollo Creed!

Observation 5 – This is the Rocky Balboa observation. Go back and watch the first movie and compare Rocky’s diet to Apollo Creed’s. Remember the scene where Rocky cracks open about a half dozen eggs into a glass and then drinks them raw, yoke and all. Whether he realized it or not (and I’m sure he and Sylvester Stallone didn’t) he was loading his body with L-arginine to improve his blood flow. This maximized his workout program and improved his cardiovascular stamina.

Observation 6 – There is not much of a choice in foods for L-citrulline. Watermelon is your one and only good food choice. You can read my article, “The Need for L-Citrulline!” to get more information on this subject.

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 food or supplementation?

Well, I’m putting the finishing touches on this video and will have it posted in a couple of days.

Together we can work to save a million lives!

Dan Hammer

P.S. Here is the URL for the chart I used in the information above:

http://www.dietaryfiberfood.com/larginine-high.php

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 contained in this article about L-Arginine and L-Citrulline 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.

The Need for L-Citrulline!

Posted on March 24, 2010 by Dan Hammer

What’s a picture of a watermelon have to do with L-citrulline? I’ll answer that in a little bit. Let’s first start with nitric oxide and L-arginine.

So much of the buzz about improved nitric oxide production centers on L-arginine. Unfortunately, many forget about L-citrulline. While L-arginine is the main amino acid used by the endothelial cells to create nitric oxide, some feel that L-citrulline is actually more important for long term nitric oxide production and improved cardiovascular health.

I bring this to your attention because I’m in the process of developing an educational module designed to help those with sickle cell anemia. One complication for those who have sickle cell anemia is the negative effects of the enzyme arginase.

Arginase is an enzyme located primarily in the liver. It is used to help complete the fifth and final step in the urea cycle. This urea cycle helps your body dispose of harmful ammonia. It is also found in the kidneys and prostate. Some research indicates that arginase is located in the mitochondria of most cells. The mitochondria are the portions of your cells that produce the bulk of your energy.

Arginase and Circulation!

While arginase has a useful role in the body it can also play a negative role in circulation. Why? Because arginase destroys L-arginine. Your endothelial cells convert the amino acid L-arginine to nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is the master signaling molecule of your cardiovascular system. It regulates blood pressure, helps to improve blood flow, keeps blood platelet cells from sticking together, prevents LDL cholesterol from adhering to the vascular walls and is a factor in a host of other very important health issues.

Everyone carries arginase in their bloodstream which can have some affect on lowering nitric oxide production. This is a bigger problem in the African American community especially for those with sickle cell disease. Thankfully, your body has an alternative pathway that enables the endothelial cells to create nitric oxide. It’s through the amino acid L-citrulline.

How Important is L-citrulline?

Well, let me introduce you to Dr. Louis J. Ignarro to answer that question. Dr. Ignarro is the 1998 Nobel Laureate in Medicine. He, and two other American researchers, were awarded the Nobel Prize for their discovery of how the endothelial cells create nitric oxide (NO) from the essential amino acid L-arginine. In Dr. Ignarro’s book, NO More Heart Disease, he makes the following statement:

“My research shows that if you take only L-arginine, which is the dominant producer of NO, you will not receive the maximum benefit. I have found that by including the synergistic partner L-citrulline, your ability to boost NO production is greatly enhanced over the effects of L-arginine alone.”

Your endothelial cells use an alternative pathway to convert L-citrulline to nitric oxide. This helps bypass the arginase enzyme so that good nitric oxide production can be restored. Plus, L-citrulline provides a 24 to 36 hour window for enhanced nitric oxide production whereas L-arginine by itself usually only has a 30 minute to 2 hour window of enhanced nitric oxide production.

This means that L-arginine can help start the process of nitric oxide production to improve circulation. Then the L-citrulline can take over to continue the improved nitric oxide production helping to maintain improved circulation.

Dr. Ignarro goes on to say, “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 NO to improve your cardiovascular health.” This statement and the information I shared so far leads to two important questions:

What foods contain L-arginine and L-citrulline?

Is it better to get these critical amino acids through food or supplementation?

I’m preparing two new videos to help answers these questions and to visibly show you the best and most effective method for enhanced nitric oxide production. But the first question brings me back to the picture of the watermelon.

The Watermelon!

In March of 2007 there was a study published in the Journal of Nutrition. The article was entitled “Watermelon consumption increases plasma arginine concentrations in adults.” This article created a significant buzz on the internet because L-arginine is needed to produce nitric oxide which is needed for a male erection. In the media, watermelon became the new and natural Viagra. While this study didn’t examine the effects on male anatomy it did provide some very important information confirming the body’s ability to convert L-citrulline to L-arginine to improve nitric oxide production.

The study subjects were given either 780 grams (equivalent of 1 g of citrulline) of watermelon or 1560 grams (equivalent of 2 g of citrulline) of watermelon. The study lasted three weeks. At the end of the study the 780 grams of watermelon group saw a 12% increase in fasting plasma arginine concentrations. The 1560 grams of watermelon group saw a 22% increase when compared to a control group that received no watermelon.

This clearly shows that your body has an alternative pathway for creating the necessary L-arginine from the amino acid L-citrulline.

So, is eating watermelon an effective way to improve nitric oxide production?

Well, the 780 grams of watermelon is equal to 1.72 pounds. The 1560 grams of watermelon is equal to 3.43 pounds. That’s a lot of watermelon to eat even if you like it. Plus, it includes the rind, that thick green outer covering of the watermelon. I believe there’s an easier way to achieve an even better result. I’ll show you in one of my upcoming videos.

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 contained in this article about L-Citrulline 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.

Quick Order Page for ProArgi-9 Plus!

Posted on March 17, 2010 by Dan Hammer

I’d like you to know about the new Quick Order Page for ProArgi-9 Plus. This page provides one central location to order this “remarkable” and unique product. It’s available to my existing customers and to those considering ProArgi-9 Plus. This short video tutorial will show you how to quickly and effectively use this page.

ProArgi-9 Plus is the nutritional supplement at the heart of the High Desert Heart Institute study. This study has had a profound impact on the method of treatment for the patients at the High Desert Heart Institute.

ProArgi-9 Plus is the product created by Dr. J. Joseph Prendergast. Dr. Joe (as he prefers to call himself) has used this L-arginine / L-citrulline supplement with other heart healthy ingredients to benefit over 7,000 patients of which 80% are diabetics. For those who have followed his advice on how to use this supplement, Dr. Joe made the following recent statement:

“. . . 80% of the people have diabetes and in 17 years we have had no problems with strokes, no problems with heart attacks, I’ve not even had any admissions in 17 years. So this is a striking example in how we can use this product for real power for health. . . “

If you’re interested in ordering ProArgi-9 Plus then please click on “Quick Order Page for ProArgi-9 Plus.” Once on the page I would ask you to “Bookmark” it so that you can conveniently return to it whenever you need to.

Additionally, if you watched the video you know that we are close to releasing our first information module “Help with Pain from Sickle Cell Anemia!” Our goal is to have this information platform up on the internet sometime between March 31^st and April 15^th. When it becomes live we will announce it here and provide you with a link to this platform.

Our next information module will be “Help with Complications from Diabetes!” We hope to have this one completed by the end of May. Please feel free to share the information with family and friends.

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 contained in this article about ProArgi-9 Plus 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.

High Desert Heart Institute – Nurses Interview!

Posted on March 6, 2010 by Dan Hammer

More and more information is being released about the High Desert Heart Institute study, the most comprehensive human clinical trial ever conducted on a nutritional supplement. It involved 33 high risk congestive heart failure patients at the High Desert Heart Institute. The patients’ ages ranged from 43 to 90 and 60% of them were on a heart transplant list. All patients were pharmacologically and medically managed to the maximum so that there was nothing further that could be done for them.

The nutrition supplement used for this groundbreaking clinical trial was ProArgi-9 Plus. This product uses an integrative L-arginine and L-citrulline combination with other heart and cardiovascular healthy ingredients. Patients were given 2 scoops in the morning and 2 scoops in the evening.

The Results Of The High Desert Heart Institute Study Were Remarkable!

By the end of the 90 day study all patients were removed from the heart transplant list. All had recovered normal lives and were no longer candidates for heart transplants. All were able to either completely eliminate or greatly reduce the drugs they were taking.

The following video contains a short overview of this study, a short audio interview with Dr. Siva Arunasalam (the Founder and Director of the High Desert Heart Institute), and a short exchange between John Hewlett and two of the medical assistants who directly interacted with the patients of this study.

Please watch this video. I’ll have some short comments to make after you’ve seen it.

There were four items that stood out for me in this video:

Item 1 – All patients were able to eliminate or greatly reduce the drugs they were taking. The ProArgi-9 Plus made a significant difference in their lives and their cardiovascular system.

Item 2 – The verbal responses of the two medical assistants. Stacy said, “. . . they’re having a life again . . .” Jeanna said, “. . . to have their lives changed around . . .” Isn’t this beautiful. To help people live lives in wellness rather than sickness.

Item 3 – Over 7,000 points of data where collected making this the most comprehensive human trial ever conducted on a nutritional supplement. Here’s the list of tests performed:

Complete Metabolic Panels
Complete Blood Count
Hemoglobin 90 Day Test
Full Lipid Panel
Vitamin D3 Levels
Microalbumin Test
Plac Test
Liver Function Tests
B-Naturetic Peptide Levels
C-Reactive Protein
Echocardiogram
Cardio Dynamic Analysis
6 Minute Walk Test
Coronary Calcium Scores
Coronary CT Scans
Angio IV Contrast
Ankle Brachial Index
Cardio Pulsewave Analysis
Doppler Echo
Blood Oxygen Saturation Levels

Item 4 – This video is just the “tip of the iceberg” of information that will be coming from this study. The “remarkable” results have already impacted the treatment protocols at the High Desert Heart Institute! When this study is finally published it will have a significant effect on how treatment programs are viewed for a wide range of cardiovascular issues.

You may have noticed in the above video that there was a reference to one of the patients of this study. His name is Angelo Cici. I edited his interview with John Hewlett into a separate video and blog post. To watch this interview please click on “High Desert Heart Institute – Angelo Cici Interview!”

For those wanting more information about this study please click on “High Desert Heart Institute!”

Dr. Siva Arunasalam, the Founder and Director of the High Desert Heart Institute, also gave a recent video interview with John Hewlett. You can see that interview by clicking on “Dr. Siva Interview!”

To purchase the ProArgi-9 Plus product or to gain additional information about how this product helps in various cardiovascular issues, please click on “Quick Order Page for ProArgi-9 Plus!”

I will continue to post additional information about the High Desert Heart Institute Study as it becomes available. Another good source of information about this study is the ComoCardio Institute.

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 contained in this article about the High Desert Heart Institute study 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. J. Joseph Prendergast Video!

Posted on February 7, 2010 by Dan Hammer

I came across this short but very interesting video of Dr. J. Joseph Prendergast. For those who don’t know Dr. Joe (as he prefers to call himself), he is the product formulator of ProArgi-9 Plus. Dr. Joe is Board Certified in Internal Medicine as well as Endocrinology and Metabolism. He is an expert in integrative L-arginine therapy and has been using this type of therapy in his practice since 1991.

Due to family heredity Dr. Joe was diagnosed at the age of 37 with severe atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries. It was estimated that he had the cardiovascular system of an 80 year old individual. This led him on a quest to find a solution to his health problem. Using cutting edge research from Dr. John Cooke and Nobel Prize winning science from Dr. Louis Ignarro and others, Dr. Joe began to work on L-arginine / L-citrulline formulations; formulations that would positively impact the health of the endothelial cells and their ability to repair themselves and produce Nitric Oxide.

The results not only benefited Dr. Joe, by reversing his atherosclerosis, but also his patient population of diabetics who had been suffering from cardiovascular issues. Prior to his discoveries on how to effectively use L-arginine and L-citrulline, Dr. Joe use to refer many of his patients for by-pass surgery. Since becoming an expert in integrative L-arginine therapy this has changed dramatically. In fact, Dr. Joe makes the following statement in this video:

“. . . 80% of the people have diabetes and in 17 years we have had no problems with strokes, no problems with heart attacks, I’ve not even had any admissions in 17 years. So this is a striking example in how we can use this product for real power for health. . . “

I would ask you to think about that. Over the last 17 years Dr. Joe has had no admissions to the hospital for cardiovascular disease. This is remarkable when you consider that most of his patients are diabetics. It was so remarkable that the American Diabetes Association awarded Dr. Joe the Father of the Year award for 2008.

Please click on “ProArgi-9 Plus” below to view this video!

Please Note: This link takes a couple of seconds to load. Once it loads you have to click on the “play button” for it to start. It then takes a couple of seconds to play. Please be patient for what Dr. Joe has to say is well worth waiting for!

Thank you for taking the time to watch this short but powerful video. I’d like to leave you with one important question:

How would your life change if you where one of Dr. Joe’s patients, especially if you’re a diabetic?

I’ll let you answer that question privately. I want to thank Dr. Joet for taking his personal health challenge, combining it with cutting edge vascular research, Nobel Prize winning science, and proven clinical results to create ProArgi-9 Plus. A product that has helped both him and thousands of others improve their health.

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 contained in this article about Dr. Joseph Prendergast 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.