What we should know about ‘nitric oxide’ and why we need more of it
- Written by Tess Sanders Lazarus
A lot of people confuse nitric oxide with nitrous oxide, but the two are very different. While both are gases, the occurrence of one little atom in one makes a big difference chemically! Nitrous oxide is a laughing gas and nitric oxide is a gas that is found naturally in the human body and plays a huge role in our overall health. In fact, it determines how long we live.
According to Brendan Howell, Director of Arborvitae Health and Wellbeing, manufacturer of the highly popular Aborvitae range of products praised for their ability to support the body in the production of nitric oxide, “nitric oxide is a little known wonder that plays a vital role in our overall health.
“It is produced by our own body and plays a key role in our circulation. It relaxes the inner muscles of our blood vessels, causing them to widen, enabling blood, nutrients and oxygen to travel to every part of our body in an optimal way.
“The more nitric oxide in our body, the better our blood flow. It assists to move our blood around helping all of our organs including our heart, decreasing plaque growth and blood clotting. One of the other benefits is that it also good for our sex life.
“A reduction in nitric oxide accelerates issues such as heart failure and many other chronic health ailments.
“Given that it is so important to our health and how long we live, how do we get more.
“The answer is ‘ideally through a healthy lifestyle’. Our body naturally produces more nitric oxide when we exercise, but given many people don’t find time to undertake the exercise needed to produce sufficient levels of nitric oxide, there are some things we can do to help our body such as eating nitrate rich foods and taking key supplements.
“When I talk about supplements, I don’t mean any supplements, I am talking about those such as Aborbitae that are rich in the specific antioxidants needed to support the longevity and production of nitric oxide in our body.
Brendan has created a list of tips on how to help increase the occurrence of nitric oxide in the body.
. Eat more vegetables high in nitrates
Nitrate is a compound found in a number of vegetables such as celery, beetroot, spinach and lettuce and when we eat these the nitrate is converted into nitric oxide. In fact, some research has found that eating nitrate rich foods can decrease our blood pressure by as much as some medications
. Take an antioxidant supplement
Nitric oxide is an unstable molecule that breaks down quickly in the bloodstream so we need to keep replenishing it and help it to stay active in our body
One way to do this is to take antioxidants which mop up free radicals. Free radicals attack nitric oxide, so if we remove the free radicals, we will stop them from breaking down the nitric oxide thereby extending its life in our body
. Take nitric oxide boosting supplements
Supplements which act as nitric oxide boosters help to form nitric oxide in our body
. Do more exercise
Exercise gets the body moving and blood pumping through our body. This keeps important cells and blood vessels healthy which also produce nitric oxide. More exercise means the production of more nitric oxide
. Avoid mouthwash
Mouthwash kills off bacteria in our mouth that produces plaque and bad breath. It also kills off the good bacteria that produces nitric oxide in our body. Oral bacteria in our mouth converts nitrate to nitric oxide and one dose of mouthwash can kill off the nitric oxide producing bacteria for up to 12 hours
While many people across the world have been searching for the nitric oxide pot of gold - a supplement which maximises the production and life of nitric oxide in the body – little known Sydney based family owned Aborvitae Health and Wellbeing seems to think their product range is the answer to everyone’s supplement search and a lot of people agree with them.
Their products simply called Aborvitae, are made with a hefty amount of Pycnogenol French Maritime Pine Bark Extract - known to be one of the world’s most powerful antioxidants - and a number of other key ingredients including enzyme papain (from papaya), aloe vera and honey. Aborvitae products are sold online and now stocked in over 500 pharmacies and health food stores throughout the country. An explosion in demand for Aborvitae products fuelled by positive feedback from users is seeing the company put in place significant expansion plans.
“We believe that Arborvitae’s unique formulation of natural ingredients provides a potent supplement that is based on years of research into its potential impact across a variety of ailments and symptoms in the human body,” Brendan added.
“Our key ingredient is 20 times more potent than Vitamin C and 50 times more potent than Vitamin E. As an antioxidant, it acts as a natural anti-inflammatory, helps generate collagen and hyaluronic acid, and aids in the production of endothelial nitric oxide which helps to dilate blood vessels – and nitric oxide is critical for our health and determines our life span.
“We have received extraordinary feedback from people with a wide range of conditions that Aborvitae has changed their life. People have told us that it has reduced their inflammation, joint pain and osteoarthritis, improved their memory and reduced their blood glucose and cholesterol levels.
“Increase in demand for our products has been largely driven by word of mouth, which is great. Now word is spreading so fast, we are having to expand operations at a rapid rate.
“I have a view that all of the best health and wellness products on the market were originally developed out of a single desire to improve the quality of life for someone suffering with a health issue. As the person got better, other people became aware of the product.
“I think Aborvitae falls into this category as well. More and more people are finding out about how this product is helping people and they want some of it too.”
