SAY YES TO (NO) - Nitric Oxide!
Updated: Oct 4
The tiny molecule with an enormous job
There is a molecule being produced inside your body right now that you probably rarely think about.
• It isn't a vitamin.
• It isn't a hormone.
• It isn't a cannabinoid.
• It is a tiny gas molecule made from just two atoms:
NITRIC OXIDE. (NO).
And don't let its size fool you. Nitric oxide is one of the body's extraordinary signalling molecules, helping blood vessels communicate, relax and regulate blood flow.
In 1998, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded for discoveries showing that nitric oxide acts as a signalling molecule in the cardiovascular system. That was a huge moment in biology. So you might be asking, "what's a signalling molecule? It's a messenger that is able to talk to other cells or tissues in the body, and ask them to carry out important work.
It was then that we understood that this tiny gas was helping control something absolutely fundamental: HOW WELL BLOOD MOVES THROUGH THE BODY.
And when blood moves well, it carries something rather important with it...
• OXYGEN.
• NUTRIENTS.
• HORMONES.
• IMMUNE CELLS.
And all of the other molecules that need to travel from one part of the body to another. So perhaps we need to start paying a little more attention to NO!
Think of nitric oxide as your body's “OPEN” signal
Imagine your blood vessels as millions of tiny flexible highways. The inner lining of those vessels... the endothelium, isn't simply plumbing. It is living, responsive tissue, and when nitric oxide is produced, it signals the smooth muscle around blood vessels to relax. Now the vessel can widen, and this is called vasodilation.
And that helps support healthy circulation and vascular function.
So one of my favourite ways of explaining nitric oxide is:
NO tells the blood vessel....
OPEN PLEASE - AND THEN....
Blood vessels relax.
Blood flow increases.
Oxygen and nutrients move more freely.
That is why NO biology is relevant not only to cardiovascular health, but also to exercise physiology and many other tissues that depend upon good circulation.
BUT HERE'S THE REALLY COOL PART...
Your body has more than one way of producing nitric oxide. And this is where our new Ultimate Cardio+ becomes particularly interesting. One major pathway involves an amino acid called L-arginine and an enzyme called nitric oxide synthase. Here is the pathway for all you biochemistry loves.
----------------------------------------------------
L-ARGININE
↓
eNOS
↓
NITRIC OXIDE
---------------------------------------------------
But there is another fascinating pathway:
NITRATE
↓
NITRITE
↓
NITRIC OXIDE
And your MOUTH plays an important part in it!
Yes... YOUR MOUTH.
Our oral microbiome is helping make nitric oxide
When we eat nitrate-rich plants, particularly leafy green vegetables such as rocket and spinach, and from here, Nitrate enters the circulation.
Some of it is then concentrated back into our saliva. And this is where something remarkable happens.
Certain beneficial bacteria living in the mouth can convert nitrate into nitrite. We swallow that nitrite, and it can subsequently contribute to nitric oxide production.
So there is an extraordinary biological conversation happening:
PLANTS
↓
DIETARY NITRATE
↓
SALIVA
↓
ORAL BACTERIA
↓
NITRITE
↓
NITRIC OXIDE
↓
VASCULAR SIGNALLING
Your mouth isn't just the entrance to your digestive system. It participates in a biochemical pathway connected to cardiovascular physiology.
How cool is that?
And here's something most people don't know...
Those nitrate-converting bacteria matter! Research has shown that disrupting oral nitrate-reducing bacteria with broad-spectrum antiseptic mouthwash can interfere with nitrate-to-nitrite conversion.
That doesn't mean nobody should ever use an antiseptic mouthwash, there are situations where they are medically or dentally appropriate. But it does remind us of something increasingly important:
• Our microbiome isn't simply a collection of germs that need to be killed.
• Some microbes are doing some big chemistry FOR US!
So what happens as we get older?
This is another reason nitric oxide has become such an interesting area of longevity research. Normal ageing is associated with changes in endothelial function and reduced nitric-oxide bioavailability. That doesn't mean ageing equals nitric-oxide deficiency or that everybody needs supplementation. It simply means maintaining healthy endothelial function, movement, diet and vascular health becomes increasingly important as we age.
And there are some wonderfully simple ways of supporting this biology.
• Exercise.
• Leafy green vegetables.
• Beetroot.
• Rocket.
• Good oral health.
• Healthy metabolic function.
• And appropriate nutritional support.
Which brings us to something new at The Hemporium...
Ultimate Cardio+ is a beautifully simple Australian-made formula designed to support nitric-oxide production. And what I particularly like about it is that it doesn't rely on just one nutritional route.
It combines:
• ROCKET LEAF EXTRACT - providing dietary nitrate
• L-CITRULLINE - supporting the body's arginine–NO pathway.
In the current formulation, one serve provides approximately 400mg of dietary nitrate from low-oxalate rocket leaf extract together with 4,000 mg of L-citrulline. So we're approaching nitric-oxide nutrition from two different directions.
PATHWAY ONE – THE PLANT PATHWAY
Rocket leaf provides dietary nitrate.
NITRATE
↓
oral bacteria
↓
NITRITE
↓
NITRIC OXIDE
This is one reason I find the relationship between plants, microbes and human physiology so fascinating. The plant supplies the molecule.
The oral microbiome performs part of the chemistry. And our physiology takes
the story from there.
PATHWAY TWO – THE CITRULLINE PATHWAY
L-citrulline works differently.
The body can convert citrulline into arginine, which can then become substrate for nitric-oxide synthase.
L-CITRULLINE
↓
L-ARGININE
↓
eNOS
↓
NITRIC OXIDE
• Two different nutritional pathways.
• One very important signalling molecule.
WE SO EXCITED ABOUT NO Because healthy nitric-oxide biology is connected to some incredibly fundamental functions.
It helps support:
• HEALTHY BLOOD FLOW AND CIRCULATION
• NORMAL VASCULAR FUNCTION
• CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH
• OXYGEN AND NUTRIENT DELIVERY
• EXERCISE PERFORMANCE
And because circulation reaches virtually every tissue in the body, the nitric-oxide story extends well beyond simply thinking about “the heart.”
• Good circulation matters to the brain.
• It matters to muscles.
• It matters during exercise.
• And yes... blood flow also matters to sexual physiology. so think about that for a min.....
That's why I keep coming back to this simple concept:
• NO isn't about one organ.
• It's about COMMUNICATION AND CIRCULATION.
BUT HERE'S WHERE IT GETS REALLY FUN...
We can actually test the pathway at home.
Alongside Ultimate Cardio+ we have Nitric Oxide Indicator Strips. These are simple saliva strips designed to give you an indication of nitrate-to-nitrite activity in your saliva.
And I LOVE this.
Because rather than simply taking a powder and hoping something is happening, you can compare your result before and after.
HOW TO USE YOUR NO TEST STRIPS
TEST 1 - YOUR BASELINE
Do your first test when you wake up in the morning, before taking Ultimate Cardio+. Avoid eating or drinking for at least 10 minutes before testing. Collect some
saliva in your mouth. Place the test pad onto your tongue/saliva for approximately 3–5 seconds. Remove the strip.
• Lay it flat beside the colour chart.
• Wait approximately 15 seconds, then compare the strip with the chart.
That's your baseline.
THEN TAKE ULTIMATE CARDIO+
Mix approximately 9.3 g, just under one scoop, with around 200 mL of water or your preferred drink and consume once daily.
TEST 2 – LET'S SEE WHAT HAPPENED
Test again approximately 90 minutes to 2 hours after taking Ultimate Cardio+. Use the same process. Saliva – Strip - 3–5 seconds - Remove. Wait approximately 15 seconds. Compare with the colour chart.
The strip is an indicator of salivary nitrite associated with the nitrate-to-nitrite pathway. It is not a direct measurement of nitric oxide circulating throughout your bloodstream and isn't a diagnostic test for cardiovascular disease.
But it gives us a fascinating window into one part of the pathway.
And THAT makes learning about our own biology fun.
ONE LAST THING...
The next time you eat a handful of rocket, go for a brisk walk, or think about your cardiovascular health, remember this tiny molecule:
NO.
Two atoms.
A fleeting signalling molecule, And an enormous biological job. Perhaps health isn't always about adding more and more complicated things. Sometimes it's about understanding the remarkable pathways our bodies already possess... and giving them the raw materials they need to work.
So we're taking our own advice:
SAY YES TO NO!
Let's get the blood flowing.
— Elise Bailey
Biologist | Biochemist | Endocannabinoid System Educator
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