Training Load | Nitric Oxide
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NOS, or nitric oxide synthase, is a family of enzymes that catalyze nitric oxide (NO) from the amino acid 𝐿-arginine. These enzymes are crucial for many physiological functions, including vasodilation, immune responses, and neurotransmission.
Training load, especially from aerobic and high-intensity interval training [HIIT], increases nitric oxide [NO] production by creating shear stress on blood vessel walls, which activates the enzymes that produce NO.
The increase in NO leads to vasodilation, improving blood flow, oxygen delivery to muscles, nutrient transport, and faster recovery. Exercise intensity, duration, and individual factors like age and training status influence the extent of this effect.
Nitric Oxide Necessity
Your body uses nitric oxide to help regulate several functions – even though it is technically a free radical. Your body needs to make nitric oxide out of parts, which include vitamin C and nitrates. A shortfall means you will not be able to produce enough nitric oxide – this impacts several body systems:
Immune system: Your immune system is a large system full of many different varieties of cells. Nitric oxide helps these cells communicate and react more quickly to invaders.
Circulatory system: Nitric oxide appears to help your body dilate and constrict your blood vessels. This can improve your blood pressure and therefore your heart health.
Exercise and muscle performance: Nitric oxide may be correlated to a slight improvement in physical performance. Athletes who received nitrate supplements appear to tire slightly more slowly than those who do not receive the supplement.
Adding more nitrates to your diet may help boost nitric oxide levels and improve your exercise performance. This does mean you have the green light to consume more bacon and related processed foods.
There is a vast difference between nitrates in beets, for example, and processed-meat products. Nitrates from the latter often combine with the amino acids to form nitrosamines – which have been associated with an increased risk of certain cancers.
The nitrate–nitrite–NO pathway is a series of oxygen-independent and NO synthase–independent single-electron transfer reactions that ultimately facilitate vasodilation.
→ Regulate blood flow;
→ Cellular metabolism;
→ Cellular signaling;
→ Tissue protection during hypoxia and acidosis
There are two sources of nitrate and nitrite: the endogenous L-arginine/NO-synthase pathway [endothelial | eNOS] and the diet.
Endothelial NO is a significant signaling molecule that regulates cerebral blood flow playing a pivotal role in the prevention and treatment of cerebrovascular diseases.
The nitrate-nitrite-NO pathway has the potential to modify key physiologic abnormalities such as late systolic LV load from arterial wave reflections, arterial vasodilator reserve, muscle O2 delivery and utilization, and mitochondrial function which may lead to both immediate improvements in exercise tolerance and disease modifications.
NO is an essential component of the human body, involved in blood vessel dilation, stimulation of hormone release, signaling, and regulation of neurotransmission. Nitric oxide is synthesized by NO-synthase-dependent and independent pathways [NOS].
The benefits to health span and lifespan cannot be understated. NO and healthy endothelium play critical roles in the following processes:
→ Vasodilation;
→ Platelet aggregation;
→ Monocyte adhesion;
→ Blood pressure regulation;
→ Superoxide radical elaboration;
→ LDL oxidation;
→ Muscle cell proliferation
Functions of NOS
→ NO production: The primary function of all NOS enzymes is to catalyze the synthesis of NO from L-arginine;
→ Signaling molecule: NO is a crucial signaling molecule involved in various physiological processes, including neurotransmission, blood vessel relaxation, and immune responses.
NO keeps the arterial lining smooth and slippery, preventing white blood cells and platelets from latching and causing damaging inflammation and artery-blocking blood clots.
NO has become a milestone in athlete physiology and pharmacology studies. The most known and remarkable function of NO is its role in controlling vasodilatation, blood rate, and mitochondrial respiration, thus enhancing performance.
Exercise and NO have a symbiotic relationship in that physical activity enhances NO production.
NO improves sports performance, promotes recovery, and benefits the athlete’s health with its physiological support in vasodilatation, blood flow, and mitochondrial respiration.
Main Isoforms
eNOS — The Vascular Guardian
Endothelium Nitric Oxide Synthase is your body’s first defense against strokes and heart attacks. It controls blood pressure, prevents clotting, and opens up your 80,000 miles of blood vessels like a maestro conducting the symphony of life.
iNOS — The Immune Defender
Immunity Nitric Oxide Synthase springs into action when your body detects infection or inflammation. It’s the warrior on the battlefield, fighting bacteria, viruses, and the hidden inflammation that fuels chronic disease.
nNOS — The Brain Protector
Neuronal Nitric Oxide Synthase is your brain’s secret weapon. It controls memory, focus, and cognition. When it falters, brain fog sets in—when it’s fueled, it becomes your shield against dementia and neurodegeneration.
mtNOS — The Mitochondrial Engine
Mitochondrial Nitric Oxide Synthase is the most mysterious and perhaps the most important. It controls energy production and cellular longevity. Without it, your cells suffocate in their own waste. With it, they regenerate, thrive, and power every heartbeat, every breath, every moment of life.
Training Load Impact
→ Mechanical stimulus: Exercise-induced blood flow increases “shear stress” on the walls of blood vessels. This stress is detected by mechanoreceptors in endothelial cells, which triggers a cascade that activates the enzyme responsible for NO production, called endothelial nitric oxide synthase [eNOS];
→ Muscle contraction: Muscle contractions increase intracellular calcium, which stimulates NOS activity and enhances NO production in the muscles;
→ Exercise Type: Both continuous training and high-intensity interval training [HIIT] have been shown to increase NO levels, although the specific effects can vary depending on the exercise protocol.
Exercise Benefits
→ Improved blood flow: NO acts as a vasodilator, relaxing blood vessel walls, which for greater blood flow;
→ Enhanced oxygenation: More oxygen and nutrients can be delivered to muscles during exercise, which helps reduce muscle fatigue;
→ Swift recovery: Improved circulation aids in clearing metabolic waste and transporting nutrients, which speeds muscle recovery after training;
→ Improved performance: Higher levels of NO can lead to improved endurance, faster recovery times, and better muscle efficiency.
Related Factors
→ Training duration: Longer duration exercise programs [8 weeks+] have shown significant NO production;
→ Individual differences: The response to exercise can be influenced by factors like age and training status;
→ Nutritional support: Dietary nitrates are precursors that the body converts to NO;
→ Stimuli: Sunlight exposure on the skin can also trigger the release of stored nitric oxide.
Training load type, intensity, and duration, significantly affects NO production, with regular exercise generally increasing its levels. Increased NO leads to several cardiovascular benefits, such as vasodilation which improves blood flow and oxygen delivery to muscles.
Mechanism of Action
During exercise, the body’s increased need for oxygen causes several physiological changes that promote NO production:
→ Enhanced blood flow: Exercise triggers an increase in cardiac output and blood flow;
→ Increased shear stress: This increased blood flow exerts more force on blood vessel walls;
→ eNOS activation: Endothelial cells respond to shear stress by activating eNOS – the enzyme that synthesizes NO from the amino acid L-arginine;
→ Vasodilation: Synthesized NO diffuses into the blood vessel walls, causing them to relax and widen;
→ Improved circulation: This vasodilation increases blood flow to enhance oxygenation, and nutrient delivery while removing metabolic waste.
NO is crucial for endurance athletes because it increases blood flow, allowing for more efficient oxygen and nutrient delivery to muscles – vasodilation – reduces fatigue, enhances stamina, and can improve recovery time.
By improving circulation, NO helps the body work more efficiently, to reduce the “oxygen cost” of exertion, and ignites faster muscle recovery.
Benefits | Endurance Athletes
→ Increased endurance: By widening blood vessels, NO allows more blood to flow to muscles, which improves oxygen and nutrient delivery. This helps athletes sustain peak performance for longer periods;
→ Reduced fatigue: Better circulation and oxygen delivery to muscles can delay the onset of fatigue during prolonged exercise;
→ Enhanced recovery: Improved blood flow helps transport waste products and deliver nutrients to muscles, speeding up the repair process and reducing muscle soreness after a workout;
→ Improved muscle efficiency: NO can lower the amount of oxygen needed for exercise, making workouts less taxing on the cardiovascular system;
→ Better nutrient delivery: Enhanced circulation ensures muscles receive the necessary nutrients to perform and repair efficiently.
Training load impacts NO by stimulating its production through both acute exercise and chronic training, leading to vasodilation and improved blood flow.
Acute exercise increases NO production due to shear stress on blood vessel walls, while chronic training improves the body’s ability to produce and utilize NO, leading to better endothelial function, reduced oxidative stress, and improved oxygen delivery to muscles.
The load itself, particularly with resistance training, can elevate NO bioactivity, though some studies suggest the overall response might be similar between low and high loads, with the primary effect coming from the exercise bout itself.
Acute Training Load
→ Each exercise session [stress] increases blood flow and stimulates endothelial cells to produce NO;
→ Muscle contractions increase intracellular calcium which activates enzymes that enhance NO production;
→ NO leads to enhanced vasodilation, oxygenation, and nutrient transport to muscle tissue
Chronic Training Load
→ Consistent exercise training leads to long-term improvements in NO production and bioavailability;
→ Enhanced endothelial function, reduced oxidative stress and age-related declines in vasodilation;
→ Enhances the body’s ability to generate NO and bolster cardiovascular health and exercise performance;
→ Increased NO production via reduced oxidative stress propels efficient muscle oxygenation.
Training Load Types
→ Aerobic and resistance training: Both aerobic and resistance exercise can increase NO production and improve cardiovascular function;
→ Resistance training load: One study found that resistance exercise, whether at low or high loads (30% vs. 70% of 1RM), led to similar elevations in real-time NO bioactivity across the sets of a workout, suggesting the bout of exercise itself was the primary stimulus, notes this researchgate.net publication.
Training load significantly affects the expression and activity of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) isoforms, with different types and intensities of training leading to specific adaptations. Regular exercise generally increases NO production and bioavailability, which is crucial for vasodilation, muscle blood flow, glucose uptake, and muscle adaptation.
How to Boost NO
Several simple options exist to boost your NO levels. Replenishing NO levels is a 24/7 commitment since NO appears and disappears in the blink of an eye. Implementing some of the following strategies will help ensure your health, performance, or longevity is not compromised:
→ Exercise:
Regular physical activity is an effective way to increase NO production in the body;
→ Nutrition:
→ Consume vegetables high in nitrates;
→ Leafy greens – esp. spinach
→ Beets;
→ Celery:
→ Meat, poultry, and seafood;
→ Dark chocolate;
→ Garlic;
→ Citrus fruits;
→ Pomegranates;
→ Asparagus;
→ Brussels sprouts;
→ Cabbage;
→ Avocados;
→ Eggplant;
→ Increase antioxidant intake
→ Vitamin C;
→ Vitamin E;
→ Polyphenols;
→ Glutathione
→ Polyphenols;
→ Limit the use of mouthwash;
→ Nasal breathing;
→ Nadishodhana [alternate nostril breathing]
The foregoing approaches will ensure you are on the proper trail to health, performance, and longevity in the following areas:
→ Enhancing metabolism;
→ Increasing vasodilation;
→ Regulating hypertension;
→ Mitigating Periphery Artery Disease [PAD];
→ Decreasing angina risk;
→ Treating erectile dysfunction
→ Supplementation:
Endurance athletes may use NO boosters [Neo40®] containing ingredients like those listed below to enhance production:
→ Beetroot Non-GMO beetroot powder supports NO production through the nitrate-nitrite pathway;
→ Hawthorn Berry Extract: High levels of antioxidants [polyphenols] to activate eNOS, which helps your body quickly convert L-arginine to NO. It helps reduce nitrite to NO.
→ 5-MTHF [5’-Methyltetrahydrofolic acid]: Synthesis of neurotransmitters, NO production, and regulate eNOS function;
→ Sodium Nitrite: Quickly converted to NO by hawthorn berry extract to enhance vasodilator activity;
→ L-citrulline: Effective substitute source for L-arginine, which eNOS converts to NO;
→ Vitamin B12: Reduces eNOS inhibition by homocysteine and produces ADMA [asymmetrical–dimethyl-arginine] to replenish tetrahydrobiopterin;
→ Vitamin C: Removes free radicals that inhibit eNOS.
Supplementation is an option if you determine it is impossible to enhance your NO levels and endothelium health via dietary and behavior modifications.
NO supplementation improves cardiac health, enhances performance during exercise, reduces high blood pressure during pregnancy, reduces erectile dysfunction, and improves healing processes and respiratory response.
The key to NOS efficacy and status required in the science and being able to perform in all the isoforms to reach the requirements in the formula must be met. Most formulas on the market fall short of completing the process.
The right NOS activation will fuel your body to perform at a level you did not believe possible.
It’s not just about arginine or citrulline. It is about triggering your body’s innate ability to generate NO through each of the isoformsi
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Nitric Oxide | Airways
The respiratory system, particularly the lungs, is a primary site for NO activity. The endothelial cells play several critical roles in lung function and overall respiratory health.
→ Regulation of Blood Flow and Oxygenation
One of the most significant roles of NO in the lungs is the regulation of blood flow. NO causes vasodilation, which helps in increasing blood flow to the lungs;
This increased blood flow ensures that sufficient oxygen is transferred from the lungs to the blood to enhance oxygenation. This process is crucial for maintaining efficient gas exchange – a fundamental aspect of respiratory health;
→ Immune Defense
NO is an essential player in the body’s immune response within the lungs. It possesses antimicrobial properties, which are vital in defending the lungs against infections, including those caused by bacteria, viruses, and fungi. NO modulates this delicate balance required for optimal lung health;
→ Inflammation Modulation
Inflammation is a common response to lung diseases and conditions. NO can inhibit certain inflammatory processes. but it may contribute to inflammation in certain circumstances – asthma, allergens, oxidative stress, respiratory infections, and so forth;
→ Bronchodilation
NO is involved in bronchodilation – the relaxation of the muscle lining in the airways. This relaxation widens the airways to efficiently breathe. This aspect of NO is beneficial for individuals with respiratory conditions like asthma, where bronchoconstriction is a significant problem;
→ Respiratory Molecule Interaction
NO interacts with various molecules within the lungs to emphasize its multifaceted role. It interacts with prostaglandins and leukotrienes, which are involved in the inflammatory response. These interactions highlight the complexity of NO’s role in lung health.
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