The Building Block for Good Health

It’s no secret that staying healthy as you age is all about maintaining balanced “levels”—whether it’s blood pressure levels, cholesterol levels or blood sugar levels. But what you may not know is that striking this balance is impossible without maintaining healthy levels of one critical cell-signaling factor called nitric oxide (NO). In fact, if NO isn’t on your radar yet, it should be.

NO’s most pivotal role is in the maintenance of cardiovascular health—especially where your blood pressure is concerned. Unbalanced blood pressure is associated with a number of vascular changes that fast-forward the aging process. NO-based strategies, however, have been shown to stabilize blood pressure safely and effectively.^1-7

NO availability is also a strong indicator of arterial health: Your body’s production of NO plays a critical role in keeping your vascular system relaxed, flexible and free-flowing, while supporting healthy platelet function and immune responses in arteries and veins.⁸ So it’s no surprise that numerous studies have revealed the importance of proper endothelial NO generation in keeping cardiovascular health factors—including cholesterol, glucose metabolism, and blood pressure—in an optimal range.^9-12

At the same time, NO influences a number of signaling pathways involved in your body’s innate clotting mechanisms, ensuring clear arteries and optimal blood fluidity by modulating platelet activation, adhesion and aggregation.^13-15 NO insufficiency, on the other hand, can affect normal blood clotting mechanisms—which makes dietary approaches to boosting NO production that much more important as you age.¹⁶

But it’s not just your heart that demands an ample supply of NO: Your brain, your metabolic system, and even your sexual health all rely on nitric oxide to stay at their peak, too. For example, emerging research reveals a clear association between poor NO availability and cognitive health—specifically, with the expression and processing of unwanted protein deposits in the brain, a well known biological hallmark of suboptimal cognitive function.^17-18 NO-boosting therapies, however, have been shown to optimize neuronal lifespan and support a healthy inflammatory response in brain cells.^19-20

Meanwhile, research has linked reductions in endothelial NO production to suboptimal insulin sensitivity, as well as blood pressure and cholesterol imbalances—thus establishing an association between NO disruptions and common blood sugar concerns.^21-23 And finally, lackluster sexual performance is one of the first signs that your NO levels aren’t up to snuff, as sufficient NO production is essential to achieving the ample blood flow and circulation necessary for healthy libido… a key factor in achieving maximum satisfaction and sensation for both men and women.

The bottom line: There’s no shortage of ways in which NO sustains your health, and declines in this signaling molecule could come with several health consequences. So assessing your own risk of insufficiency—and then taking steps to revitalize your body’s NO levels as necessary—are two of the most important moves you can make.

Luckily, they’re also simple, thanks to two products from CP. The first is a new formula called Neo40® Daily, which features a novel proprietary blend of vitamins and botanicals, designed to support optimal NO production naturally and effectively. The second is a breakthrough salivary test for NO levels, which uses convenient test strips to offer both doctors and patients an easy and non-invasive way to measure nitric oxide availability and to monitor progress as NO levels are being replenished.

Both Neo40® Daily and Nitric Oxide Test Strips are available now from Complementary Prescriptions™.

References:

1. Taddei S., et al. Age-related reduction of NO availability and oxidative stress in humans. Hypertension. 2001;38(2):274-9.

2. Willmot M., et al. Transdermal glyceryl trinitrate lowers blood pressure and maintains cerebral blood flow in recent stroke. Hypertension. 2006;47(6):1209-15.

3. Kapil V., et al. Inorganic nitrate supplementation lowers blood pressure in humans: role for nitrite-derived NO. Hypertension. 2010; 56(2):274-81.

4. Webb AJ., et al. Acute blood pressure lowering, vasoprotective, and antiplatelet properties of dietary nitrate via bioconversion to nitrite. Hypertension. 2008;51(3):784-90.

5. Larsen FJ., et al. Effects of dietary nitrate on blood pressure in healthy volunteers. N Engl J Med. 2006;355(26):2792-3.

6. Zand J., et al. All-natural nitrite and nitrate containing dietary supplement promotes nitric oxide production and reduces triglycerides in humans. Nutr Res. 2011;31(4):262-9.

7. Hord N.G., Tang Y, and Bryan NS. Food sources of nitrates and nitrites: the physiologic context for potential health benefits. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009;90(1):1-10.

8.  Moncada S., Palmer R.M.J, Higgs A. Nitric oxide: physiology, pathophysiology and pharmacology. Pharmacol Rev. 1991;43(2):109-142.

9. Schachinger, V., M.B. Britten, and A.M. Zeiher, Prognostic impact of coronary vasodilator dysfunction on adverse long-term outcome of coronary heart disease. Circulation, 2000;101(16):1899-906.

10. Lerman, A. and A.M. Zeiher, Endothelial function: cardiac events. Circulation. 2005. 111(3):363-8.

11. Halcox, J.P., et al., Prognostic value of coronary vascular endothelial dysfunction. Circulation. 2002;106(6):653-8.

12. Bugiardini, R., et al., Endothelial function predicts future development of coronary artery disease: a study of women with chest pain and normal coronary angiograms. Circulation. 2004;109(21):2518-23.

13. Loscalzo, J., N-Acetylcysteine potentiates inhibition of platelet aggregation by nitroglycerin. J Clin Invest. 1985;76(2):703-8.

14. Pigazzi, A., et al., Nitric oxide inhibits thrombin receptor-activating peptide-induced phosphoinositide 3-kinase activity in human platelets. J Biol Chem, 1999. 274(20):14368-75.

15. Trepakova, E.S., R.A. Cohen, and V.M. Bolotina, Nitric oxide inhibits capacitative cation influx in human platelets by promoting sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase-dependent refilling of Ca2+ stores. Circ Res, 1999. 84(2):201-9.

16. Loscalzo, J., Nitric oxide insufficiency, platelet activation, and arterial thrombosis. Circ Res. 2001;88(8):756-62.

17. Corzo, L., et al., Decreased levels of serum nitric oxide in different forms of dementia. Neurosci Lett. 2007. 420(3):263-7.

18. Austin, S.A., A.V. Santhanam, and Z.S. Katusic, Endothelial nitric oxide modulates expression and processing of amyloid precursor protein. Circ Res. 2010;107(12):1498-502.

19. Wirtz-Brugger, F. and A. Giovanni, Guanosine 3’,5’-cyclic monophosphate mediated inhibition of cell death induced by nerve growth factor withdrawal and beta-amyloid: protective effects of propentofylline. Neuroscience. 2000;99(4):737-50.

20. Paris, D., et al., beta-Amyloid vasoactivity and proinflammation in microglia can be blocked by cGMP-elevating agents. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2000;903:446-50.

21.  Duplain, H., et al., Insulin resistance, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension in mice lacking endothelial nitric oxide synthase. Circulation. 2001;104(3):342-5.

22. Williams, S.B., et al., Impaired nitric oxide-mediated vasodilation in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. J Am Coll Cardiol. 1996;27(3):567-74.

23. Saenz de Tejada I, et al., Impaired neurogenic and endothelium-mediated relaxation of penile smooth muscle from diabetic men with impotence. N Engl J Med. 1989;320(16):1025-30.