OK, you guessed it – cocoa flavanols top the list! But keep reading for four other important ways to boost your nitric oxide to promote exercise performance, cognition, cardiovascular health, energy, and sexual function (men and women)!
For all of these benefits, nitric oxide (NO) has been dubbed the ‘miracle molecule’. It was even named ‘molecule of the year’ in 1992 when three scientists won the Nobel Prize for discovering NO’s secret power of enhancing vasodilation and artery health.
Unfortunately NO production begins to fall off in our mid-20s, dropping about 50% by age 40, and a staggering 75% by age 60! But no worries — at any age, maintaining healthy NO levels is well within your reach!
Here are 5 ways to boost your levels of miracle molecule NO:
1. Consume Cocoa Flavanols: Cocoa flavanols are potent nitric oxide boosters, supercharging the body’s ability to make NO and enhance vasodilation. Studies show that 500-900mg of flavanols daily increase vasodilation by over 35%!
2. Exercise: Physical exercise is a powerful stimulator of NO production by our endothelial cells. This is one reason why exercise is so clearly correlated with wellness and longevity.
3. Eat Foods High in Nitrates: When we eat green leafy vegetables, beets, celery, etc., our bodies convert nitrates to nitrites, and then to NO.
4. Use Less Mouthwash: Surprised? This one caught us by surprise too! But most antiseptic mouthwashes destroy the good bacteria in our mouths needed to convert nitrates into nitrites. This blocks this second pathway to creating NO.
5. Enjoy Some Sunshine: Similar to vitamin D, our nitric oxide levels increase when we spend more time in the sun. One large UK study showed that NO levels drop by a third in the winter relative to the summer.
Super doable, right? When it comes to NO, the truth is YES…you got this!