Nitric oxide is a simple but very important molecule found in your body. What does nitric oxide do to your body is an important question to understand because most of your body functions depend on it.
It’s important for athletes that they train every day so that their body is in great shape throughout the year. This way it helps to improve performance and push harder to achieve goals. Their diet has to contain foods that boost energy levels to train for longer hours and still be healthy. Taking foods that are rich in nitrates for energy, to keep cardiovascular muscles functioning properly, and give enough nutrients.
What does nitric oxide do?
Here are some of the cool things nitric oxide does to your body.
For the circulatory system
It opens up your blood vessels to allow more blood to be transported throughout your body. As an athlete, you train a lot and the pressure and strain you put on your body mean that your heart needs to pump a lot of blood to every cell in your body so that you can be at your optimum level. Foods like green leafy vegetables and beets are rich in nitrates which your body converts into nitric oxide that helps to lower your blood pressure. These foods also help to improve your exercise performance as an athlete and the health of your heart. It also acts as an anti-inflammatory which prevents your white blood cells and platelets from sticking to the lining of your blood vessels causing a blockage. Click here to learn more about nitric oxide.
For the central nervous system
Nitric oxide helps to sharpen your memory and helps you learn by feeding information to the nerve cells in your brain. It also helps in relaxing the muscles of your urinary and reproductive system. Your gastrointestinal muscles relax to help you in bowel movement so that you don’t get constipated or bloated. The tiny quantities of nitric oxide found in the nervous system are responsible for making sure your nerves don’t get damaged and cause a stroke.
Nitric oxide also acts as a neurotransmitter passing on information to the nerve cells but only for a short time. This way you’re memory is sharpened and the cognitive functions of your brain. If you get a brain injury during your exercises or in the field, nitric oxide can increase blood flow to your brain and reduce inflammationto prevent any permanent damage. It also improves the quality of sleep since your body is relaxed and there is enough blood flowing through your entire body to relax your muscles.
For your immune system
Nitric oxide plays a big role in helping the white blood cells fight bacteria and prevent multiplication of viruses in your body. It helps to protect your body from bacteria and pathogens that will make you sick. You don’t have to go to the hospital or take medication, foods rich in nitrates will help fight off any disease and keep you healthy. While nitric oxide can help your immune system to kill cancer-causing cells it can also cause the same cells to form.
For erectile dysfunction
Nitric oxide relaxes blood vessels in your penis to increase the flow of blood which is needed to initiate and maintain an erection. The tight clothes that athletes wear can cause you to develop erectile dysfunction because the pressure applied by the clothes and the heat doesn’t allow the smooth flow of blood to the penis.
Is your question, what does nitric oxide do fully answered?
As you can see nitric oxide is very useful to your body in many ways. It helps inexpanding your blood vessels so that blood can flow more freely to the entire body helping you exercise for longer and regulate your blood pressure. It helps to protect your body by fighting off bacteria and pathogens that make you sick and you are able to sleep better because your muscles are relaxed and enough oxygen is flowing to your body. Finally, your memory is sharper as the nitric oxide passes information to nerve cells in your body.
FAQ
What are the side effects of nitric oxide?
Taking too much nitric oxide can be harmful to your kidney causing a reduction in your performance because your kidneys are stressed out processing nitrates. If you also have low blood pressure you can experience dizziness or lightheadedness.
Is nitric oxide good for erectile dysfunction?
Impotence drugs like Viagra contain nitric oxide. It helps to relax the blood vessels and smoothen the penis muscles increasing blood flow that helps to initiate and maintain an erection.
What is nitric oxide?
Nitric oxide is a gas made in your body that helps to increase blood flow to your body and promote vasodilation. Regular blood flow helps to control your blood pressure, maintain an erection, and improve your workout.
What is the best way to get nitric oxide?
You can eat vegetables high in nitrates like beetroot, celery, spinach, lettuce, etc. Increasing you intake of antioxidants like vitamin C, E, and polyphenols from fruits, nuts, veggies, and grains.
Why do bodybuilders take nitric oxide?
Blood carries oxygen to your working muscles so taking nitric oxide will increase blood flow which helps you work out for longer and aid in faster recovery. The increased blood flow is said to increase the pump of your muscles.
