What it is
The formation of nitrogen monoxide occurs as a result of oxidation by the oxygen atom of L-arginine. Nitric oxide sports supplements are based on one of several amino acids. Basically, it is arginine or citrulline. Nitric oxide is widely used in medicine. It has a positive effect on:
- Central and peripheral nervous system. Nitric oxide activates the process of releasing neurotransmitters from nerve endings. Regulates the growth of cells of the central nervous system. Able to protect neurons, reducing their loss.
- Participates in long-term memory processes.
- Cardiovascular system – controls blood pressure and normalizes blood flow. Also prevents the formation of blood clots. Reduces the rate of development of atherosclerosis.
- Produces energy metabolism enzymes.
- Plays an important role in regulating lung functions.
- High concentrations of nitric oxide can have cytotoxic, antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal effects.
Beneficial features
Nitric oxide has a number of beneficial properties for the body: it reduces the harmful effects of stress hormones, improves immunity, regulates the acid-base balance of the blood, providing the body's cells with oxygen, and accelerates wound healing. Its most important properties are listed in more detail below. So, nitric oxide:
Increases stamina
The vasodilatory effect of nitric oxide is extremely important for athletes, especially bodybuilders, because increasing the amount of nutrients in the blood and delivering more oxygen to the muscles will allow you to train longer, regardless of the sport.
During physical activity, cardiac output increases and blood flow in muscle fibers is redistributed. When you exercise, oxygen in your muscles is depleted. When there is a lack of oxygen, the body begins to produce lactic acid, which eventually leads to muscle fatigue - to the point that you can no longer continue exercising. Nitric oxide reduces the amount of lactic acid produced during exercise and prolongs the time until exhaustion occurs.
Improves training performance
By accelerating the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the muscles, nitric oxide improves their response to exercise and enhances athletic performance. A 2010 study conducted by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and published in Strength & Conditioning
, studied the effects of arginine supplementation on physical performance in tired people.1
The study found that patients taking arginine experienced a significant increase in performance, while the placebo group showed no significant changes.
It is also known that nitric oxide accelerates the release of ammonia from the body and increases the uptake of glucose by cells.
Improves recovery after training
A study by Chinese scientists, the results of which were published in the Chinese Journal of Physiology
in 2009, showed that taking L-arginine led to an increase in blood glucose and insulin concentrations after exercise.2
Increasing insulin levels, in turn, can help improve muscle protein synthesis and therefore improve post-workout recovery.
May improve cognitive function
Several studies confirm that nitric oxide improves memory and cognitive function in the brain. A 2011 study published in the Indian Journal of Medical Research found that “nitric oxide activates the brain's processing ability.”3
Improves erectile function
Nitric oxide may improve erections and combat erectile dysfunction. This property of the drug was confirmed by a study conducted in 1992 by Dr. Burnett. The results revealed that nitric oxide plays a critical role in erectile function, and the supplement may help patients with erectile dysfunction).4
How to Increase Nitric Oxide Production
There are many natural ways to do this. One of them is doing physical exercise.5
A great way to increase nitric oxide is to laugh. Yes, regular laughter! A 2009 study by American scientists showed that laughter releases beta-endorphins. The researchers suggested that “such positive emotions lead to a direct release of nitric oxide and the biological consequences associated with its production.”6
Another option is to eat foods high in nitrates, since nitrates can break down in the intestines, releasing nitric oxide.7
Exposure to sunlight may also increase nitric oxide production.8
Finally, if your body doesn't produce enough nitric oxide to meet its needs, you can use a supplement.
Why are nitrogen donors used in bodybuilding: the benefits of supplements in sports
The action of nitric oxide is aimed at increasing strength and endurance during the training process, as well as helping to restore muscles for the next workout. This compound increases blood volume in the muscles, enriching them with oxygen and more necessary substances for growth.
But you need to understand that to get the maximum effect with the supplement, you need to consume a sufficient amount of biological substances involved in anabolism.
Nitric oxide allows you to increase the intensity and number of workouts, and such workouts will actually produce results and not lead to overtraining, since the muscles will be well nourished.
If an athlete does not recover before the next workout, nitric oxide will definitely help with this and also nourish the muscles with all the necessary substances! During intense exercise, oxygen begins to be consumed in the muscles, after which lactic acid begins to enter the muscles, as a result of which the muscles weaken and fatigue appears. This muscle fatigue is familiar to every athlete and manifests itself as a burning sensation during exercise.
A study was also conducted in which its fat-burning effect was established. Nitric oxide, like L-carnitine, converts fats into energy and also affects glucose. Athletes taking a nitric oxide donor supplement used glucose as an energy source at a faster rate. Those who take these supplements experience intense pumping during and after exercise. Nitric oxide helps improve the functioning of the cardiovascular system, normalizes blood pressure and contraction frequency. Among other things, men have improved erections while taking the drug.
Nitric oxide is found in foods such as:
- Watermelon.
- Turmeric.
- Hot peppers.
By the way, foods rich in nitrates and vegetables grown with nitrate fertilizers increase the amount of nitric oxide in the body.
The connection between strength and sexual performance
Since nitric oxide donors are powerful sexual stimulants, their capabilities in restoring motor tissues have not been paid attention to for a long time. Synelyphrine and Viagra, its two main competitors, are believed to be strong stimulants.
This is fundamentally wrong. All Viagra does is increase overall blood pressure and saturate the circulatory system with nitrogen oxides. From the point of view of sexual performance, this allows you to stop venous leakage, which is one of the most common causes of discomfort in bed, and, consequently, to expand the blood channel, thereby prolonging and improving a man’s erectile performance in bed.
At the same time, if the problem is on a mental level, or is associated with a lack of levels of sex hormones (or sex secretions), then Viagra and any other nitric oxide donor will not help in any way.
You don't have to worry about taking Via Gra substitutes for athletic achievements. At the end of the course of taking the drugs, you will not become impotent. In addition, you will not suffer from a constant erection in public transport, and, therefore, you will not find yourself in unpleasant and awkward situations.
The only side effect that can be a problem after stopping the use of nitric oxide donors for sports purposes is the psychological effect, which is sometimes enough to cause problems in spicy situations.
How to take nitric oxide from sports nutrition and who is recommended
These supplements are most often used by strength athletes, but they can also be used during endurance training, as this supplement enriches the muscles with oxygen, which increases their endurance. Climbers who are high in the mountains and are starved of oxygen can use nitric oxide to improve performance.
The sports supplement should be taken half an hour before training, during a meal or with a BCAA complex. Dosages recommended by manufacturers should be followed.
Sports supplements - nitric oxide donors can be combined with other supplements, for example:
- With gainer, stearic fat, omega-3 fatty acids and protein mixtures - together they improve the effect, increasing muscle nutrition.
- With creatine – gives a synergistic effect for pumping, keeps blood in the muscles for a long time.
How it affects the body
At the beginning of the 20th century, it was found that in order to ensure the vital activity of living organisms, a regular supply of certain chemical compounds, including nitrogen, is necessary.
A man's body contains an average of 1.8 kg of the element, and a woman's body contains 1.3 kg. This difference is due to the fact that proteins are part of muscle tissue, and men have more developed muscles than women.
For humans, atmospheric nitrogen is a biologically inactive substance that enters the lungs with inhaled air and is eliminated with exhaled air.
A person's need for protein consists of 2 components - meeting the need for total nitrogen and essential amino acids.
A person receives protein compounds for the synthesis of his tissues from food, which must contain a sufficient amount of them.
Of the amino acids necessary for the body, some (called non-essential) are synthesized in the body from ammonia and other substances, while non-synthesized ones (called essential) must be supplied with food (plant and animal).
In order for atmospheric nitrogen to become part of proteins, it must undergo a number of transformations. Only bacteria of the genus Azotobacter living in the soil are able to use it directly with the further synthesis of organic nitrogenous compounds.
All other living organisms are unable to use atmospheric nitrogen. Their nitrogen metabolism begins with the use of ammonia or amino acids.
Ammonia is produced by higher plants by reducing nitrates contained in the soil with the final biosynthesis of amino acids and proteins.
Herbivores feed on plants and convert plant amino acids into their own proteins. Man consumes plant and animal products and also transforms them into his own tissues.
After the death of living organisms, microorganisms break down organic matter, nitrogen enters the soil, where it is assimilated by nitrogen-fixing bacteria and converted back into organic matter. This is the nitrogen cycle in nature.
Contraindications
This sports supplement is not intended for use by people under eighteen years of age, or if they are pregnant or breastfeeding. And nitric oxide donors should not be used by people with individual intolerance. Nitric oxide supplementation is contraindicated in people taking nitrates for chest pain, medications for erectile dysfunction.
If you have blood pressure problems, you should consult your doctor before taking the supplement.
Nitric oxide medications should not be taken for longer than eight weeks.
What is nitric oxide?
What is nitric oxide? In 1998, the Nobel Prize was awarded for the discovery of the role of nitric oxide in the functioning of the human cardiovascular system. American scientists Robert F. Furchgott, Louis J. Ignarro and Ferid Murad were recognized as the lucky discoverers, the result of many years of work was the discovery of the physiological function of nitric oxide. A bit of physiology After much research that lasted the better half of the twentieth century, it turned out that molecules of NO gas, that is, nitric oxide, act as an independent regulator of metabolism, which is also produced by specific cells of blood vessels. Thus, the release of nitric oxide into the bloodstream leads to relaxation of the smooth muscles of the arteries, which helps to increase their lumen and improve overall blood supply. It was also found that the starting material in the human body for the endogenous reproduction of nitric oxide is the amino acid arginine, which is a donor and physiological carrier of nitrogen. Beneficial effects of nitric oxide As a result of research, it was found that nitric oxide: is necessary for the normal functioning of the heart and central nervous system, it not only acts as a stimulating agent in the expansion of the lumen of blood vessels, but also participates in the formation of new ones, counteracts the formation of malignant cells, and is beneficial affects the immune system, regulates the activity of the gastrointestinal tract, genitourinary system and respiratory organs, also accelerates wound healing and the formation of new bone tissue, and can minimize the harmful effects of stress hormones. The main purpose of nitrogen in the blood is to regulate the pH of the blood and, as a result, ensure the supply of oxygen to the body's cells with all the benefits that this entails. What can a lack of ON lead to? As a consequence of the above, science has established that a lack of NO in the body can lead to the development of hypertension, decreased immunity, the risk of developing malignant tumors, diabetes, obesity, and chronic fatigue. What else does nitric oxide affect? Surprising was the discovery of the fact that normal levels of nitric oxide have a beneficial effect on mental activity, affecting the functional characteristics of long-term memory and thinking in general. In turn, maintaining the physiological level of NO in the male body has a positive effect on erectile function. It is now known that nitric oxide levels decline steadily with age. In the daily biorhythm, its minimum concentration is observed in the morning hours, so there is a point of view that, directly for this reason, in most cases, heart attacks occur at this time of day. How to Maintain Natural Nitric Oxide Levels? Since the main source for the formation of nitric oxide is arginine, it is believed that the lack of the latter in the daily diet over time leads to an avalanche of so-called diseases of old age. As an alternative, it is proposed to adhere to a proper diet, balanced in protein composition, excluding trans fats and processed foods, which ultimately negatively affect the formation of NO in the quantities required by a person. The second condition, but not the least important, to ensure proper production of nitric oxide is following a physically active lifestyle. To support the natural production of nitric oxide, it is recommended to regularly eat foods rich in arginine. Such as: fish, cottage cheese, dairy products, nuts, white meat, dark chocolate and others. Not long ago, scientists found that it is possible to increase the level of nitric oxide in the blood with the help of various food acids, such as ascorbic or acetylsalicylic acid. Nitric Oxide Supplements When looking at specific supplements, such as NO-Xplode (BSN), naNOX9 Hardcore (MuscleTech), Animal Pump (Universal Nutrition), Xpand Xtreme Pump (Dymatize Nutrition), and others, there is nothing like nitrogen in them , and the prefix oxide or oxide does not carry any information. Here is an approximate list of ingredients of NO-complexes: Alkaloids, arginine, vinburnine, vincamine, vinpocetine, vitamin C, gypenosides, histidine, glycerol, B vitamins, potassium, caffeine, creatine, magnesium, sodium, nicotinamide adenine, tyrosine, folic acid, citrulline, ginseng extract. If this list is described in clear words, then supplements marked NO consist of a set of amino acids (proteins), vitamins, minerals, creatine, extracts of some plants, plant acids, “pharmacy” components that improve blood flow and strengthen the heart. It follows that the usual immune-stimulating supplements are on sale. The market has been waiting for these products for many years; many bodybuilders combined all these components long before they were combined in one package. For example, the combination of BCAA + creatine + carnitine + caffeine + ZMA + vitamin C and B + pharmaceutical vinpocetine + ginseng extract will give the same result. Now you don’t have to “cheat” with schemes for combining various ingredients and purchase ready-made products. Nitric oxide supplements from some manufacturers are quite effective, primarily due to a number of components sold in pharmacies by prescription, which makes the supplements unrivaled and at the same time semi-legal and risky for health.
Increased NO levels
Ok, how to increase the NO concentration? Everything is obvious here, we NEED NITROGEN DONators. And ARGININE immediately comes to mind, because it is found in most donors.
It is also believed that arginine helps increase muscle mass and reduce body fat at optimal load.
Those. everything seems clear. If you want to increase the concentration of nitric oxide, eat arginine! Take your time, friends. This is where we see marketing in all its glory.
Why arginine?
Guys, the fact is that in the United States scientists were looking for a substance that is responsible for maintaining the functioning of blood vessels and the human circulatory system.
After some time, they found this substance and, since they decided that it was an ordinary protein molecule, they named it EDRF (endothelium relaxing factor). But after a short period of time, they were very surprised that the found molecule turned out to be a VERY CHEMICALLY ACTIVE GAS or nitrogen donor.
Within 10 years, more than 60,000 articles on this topic were published, and the scientists who made this discovery were awarded the Nobel Prize in 1998. As you understand, this molecule turned out to be arginine.
Later, this discovery helped many patients with hypertension (because arginine relaxes blood vessels), as well as those who had problems with the gastrointestinal tract as a substance that stimulates (supports) the immune system.
But medicine is medicine, friends. What about bodybuilding? Several studies have shown that arginine causes SHORT-TERM vasodilation ! Those. Even if arginine increases the production of nitric oxide, it is for a short period of time! Therefore, its benefits in bodybuilding are highly questionable.
So what about nitrogen donors that increase the NO content in the blood - is it all one global deception? Don't rush to conclusions, friends. We just need MORE POWERFUL NITROGEN DONators!
Contains Nitric Oxide NO
Only clinically tested ingredients are included. During its creation and production, only the most advanced, high-precision technologies and perfectly pure, clinically tested and completely harmless components were used, which made it possible to obtain an amazing drug with extraordinary properties and the highest quality.
Nitric Oxide NO kicks in immediately after intake and increases the intensity of your workouts. The five basic components that make up the drug act on all body systems, and this ensures excellent results.
Manufacturers and prices
The product's name | Manufacturer | Release form | Price (in rubles) |
NITRIX 2.0 | BSN | Capsules(90 pcs) | 2400 rub. |
NO3 chrome | Cellucor | Tablets (180 pcs) | 3800 rub. |
NO+ELITE | QNT | Powder(800 gr) | 2830 rub. |
NITROX | USN | Capsules(180 pcs/90 pcs) | 3600 rub/2300 rub |
Let us draw some conclusions. Nitric oxide donors are one of the most popular products on the sports nutrition market. Regular intake of NO increases athletic performance during training and reduces energy expenditure. This strength and muscle growth stimulator is definitely something you should try. There really are results; many bodybuilders have already tried nitric oxide. And they were satisfied. Of course, like many drugs for increasing activity, there are also disadvantages in the form of side effects.
Nitric oxide and the immune system
Xtreme Napalm
Over the past two decades, nitric oxide has been recognized as one of the most important elements that influence the immune system. Back in 1985-1990, nitric oxide officially began to be used in immunology , understanding how it works on the immune system. For example, it was precisely determined that microphages (good cells in the body that get rid of toxic cells, bacteria, perform one of the most important protective functions) produce nitric oxide with the help of cytokines .
Recently, the popularity of nitric oxide as a dietary supplement has grown throughout the world. In a recent study, 35 men were given NO and one group received a placebo . After 8 weeks of testing, the following was found: in none of the groups were there significant differences in body weight or percentage of fat. But on the other hand, the group that took nitric oxide supplements noted an increase in strength as a result of bench press (per rep), feeling good and having more energy.
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