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This week, we’re exploring some big questions about cardiovascular health. What causes high blood pressure? What contributes to a heart attack or stroke? And why can two people with seemingly similar lifestyles have very different cardiovascular health?
In a recent conversation, Dr. William Li, CEO, President, and Medical Director of the Angiogenesis Foundation, sat down with Dr. Louis Ignarro, the Nobel Prize-winning scientist whose research helped establish nitric oxide (NO) as a critical signaling molecule in the cardiovascular system.
Their conversation explored a deceptively small molecule with a remarkably big role in the body, and how nitric oxide helps regulate blood flow, blood vessel function, and cardiovascular health.
Introducing Nitric Oxide
Nitric oxide is a signaling molecule produced by cells throughout the body, including the endothelial cells that line your blood vessels.
When endothelial cells produce NO, it signals the surrounding smooth muscle to relax. This causes vasodilation, widening blood vessels and helping regulate blood flow and blood pressure. NO also helps regulate platelet activity and how blood cells interact with the vessel wall.
Together, these effects make nitric oxide an important regulator of vascular homeostasis, helping keep blood vessels functioning properly.
When Nitric Oxide Signaling Is Disrupted
Healthy endothelial cells continuously respond to changes in blood flow. One way they do this is through endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), an enzyme that produces NO from the amino acid L-arginine.
But when oxidative stress becomes excessive, reactive oxygen species (ROS) can react with and scavenge nitric oxide, reducing its bioavailability. This can disrupt normal endothelial signaling and impair the ability of blood vessels to relax.
Reduced NO bioavailability is therefore an important feature of endothelial dysfunction, and is closely studied in cardiovascular diseases including hypertension and atherosclerosis.
Which nitric oxide tip will you try today?
What Does Dr. Ignarro Teach Us?
🚶 Move your body. Regular physical activity increases blood flow and stimulates your blood vessels to produce nitric oxide, supporting healthy vascular function.
🥬 Eat your greens. Leafy greens, arugula, spinach, and beets are rich in dietary nitrate, which can contribute to nitric oxide production. (check out our past newsletter on dietary nitrates for more information)
🐟 Choose healthy fats. Fatty fish, avocados, nuts, seeds, and extra virgin olive oil provide unsaturated fats that can support cardiovascular and endothelial health.
👃 Breathe through your nose. Your nasal passages produce nitric oxide, which is carried into the lungs when you breathe through your nose.
🎵 Try humming. Humming can increase nitric oxide concentrations in the nasal passages, making it an interesting example of how airflow can influence our physiology.
🫀 Think about the whole picture. Nitric oxide is just one part of cardiovascular health. Diet, movement, blood pressure, blood glucose, cholesterol, and other factors all influence vascular function.
Don’t miss this new nitric oxide-friendly recipe! Made with kale and garlic, it’s a delicious way to build a balanced meal while adding dietary nitrates from leafy greens to your diet.
Check out this week’s YouTube video to hear more from Dr. Louis Ignarro and meet our new animated character, Dr. NO!
Best wishes,
- The Angiogenesis Foundation
P.S. Like what you’re reading? Support our mission to advance research and share science-backed health insights.
Make a donation to the Angiogenesis Foundation today.
Don’t miss our Angiogenesis Foundation Green Tea from Harney & Sons to support your vascular health.
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