Nitric oxide is one of the body's most potent
vasodilators. This means that it helps the blood vessels to open more fully to
improve blood flow in the body. Improved blood flow results in many health
benefits especially relating to serious exercise and bodybuilding. Many
bodybuilders use a nitric oxide supplement to achieve all of these benefits and
boost their workout.
Nitric oxide supplements don't actually
contain nitric oxide because it breaks down far too quickly to have any effect
if taken as a supplement. Rather these supplements contain many of the
ingredients and some booster reactants to help the blood vessels produce their
own nitric oxide, which they do naturally.
Many bodybuilding experts swear by nitric
oxide supplements, and there is a lot of research into the role of nitric oxide
and exercise as well as a deficiency of it and disease. Check out https://www.consumeradvisors.org/
to see reviews on quality nitric oxide supplements, and to find out which might
work best for you.
What's In A Nitric Oxide
Supplement?
Obviously, ingredients vary from manufacturer
to manufacturer but there are some key ingredients that any good nitric oxide
supplement should contain. One of the ingredients should be L-arginine and
another one should be L-citrulline. These two amino acids are part of the
biochemical pathway that produces nitric oxide. This pathway is well studied by
scientific research. In other
words, there is quite a lot of clinical data to backup the idea of using these
ingredients to achieve a higher nitric oxide concentration in the blood, which
is not always the case for every pre-workout supplement. Beware of pre-workout
supplements that do not contain L-arginine or L-citrulline even if they say
they improve nitric oxide production.
Also be aware of supplements that contain low
dosages of these amino acids. The best dosage is around 1680 mg of L-arginine
and 480 mg of L-citrulline.
Some of the better manufacturers also include
certain proven plant extracts in their supplement. For example beetroot, which
contains nitrate also helps to boost nitric oxide production. Other plants
which improve nitric oxide production include pine bark and Quercetin.
Benefits Of Taking Nitric Oxide
●
It improves your recovery:
By opening the
blood vessels and improving blood flow, nitric oxide helps the blood to carry
more oxygen and nutrients to the muscles especially after a workout. Muscles
become fatigued due to the buildup of lactic acid and the
presence of more oxygen helps to get rid of this lactic acid and reduce muscle
fatigue.
●
It minimizes lactic acid build up during your workout:
Lactic acid builds
up when the muscles do not have enough oxygen to meet their energy needs. If
you have more nitric oxide before working out then more blood can flow to the
muscles during a workout which provides the muscle cells with more oxygen so
that they do not build up as much lactic acid.
●
It improves stamina:
Without the buildup
of lactic acid muscles can work much harder for much longer which improves the
effectiveness of your workout. With nitric oxide you can do more reps and work
out for longer overall.
●
It helps you burn glucose
More blood flow to
the muscles brings more glucose to them so they burn more of it. Glucose can
sometimes be one of the major obstacles to bodybuilding because it is stored as
fat if it is not used. The muscle cells using more glucose which helps the body
to store less fat after the workout.
Side Effects Of Taking Nitric
Oxide
There aren't any real major side effects from
taking nitric oxide because the supplements are completely natural. The biggest
side effect is an increased urge to urinate. This is because the breakdown of
amino acids builds up more urea in the body which needs to be excreted. There
is also some evidence that nitric oxide supplements can reduce levels of a
neurotransmitter dopamine, which has a role in sleep cycles and motivation but
this side effect has been discounted because exercise naturally increases
levels of dopamine to balance everything out. There is also some evidence that
nitric oxide supplements can reduce levels of zinc in the body but this can
also be comforted by eating zinc rich foods or taking supplements if necessary.
It is also recommended to watch your blood pressure and blood sugar when taking
these supplements to make sure you're not taking too much.
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