TREATMENT

The treatment is based on an amino acide called l-arginine that converts to nitric oxide.

NITRIC OXIDE

In the section on endothelial cells, we discussed nitric oxide. Healthy endothelial cells produce nitric oxide, an important signaling molecule that helps keep arteries supple.

Firstly, don’t get confused with nitrous oxide which is a laughing gas. We are talking about nitric oxide, also referred to as NO.

NO is a gas made up of nitrogen and oxygen. It is found in all living creatures and is produced by many different cell types. It is a naturally occurring gaseous molecule.

When NO enters a cell, it stimulates a biochemical process that relaxes and dilates blood vessels (a vasodilator). NO also helps keep atherosclerosis in check by preventing platelets and white blood cells from sticking to the blood vessel walls.

To make nitric oxide, endothelial cells need an amino acid called L-arginine. L-arginine is a one of the basic building blocks of proteins. It is present in foods such as poultry, meat, fish and dairy products.

L-arginine is common. You can find it in health food shops. Body builders take it as it stimulates muscle development.

Without adequate levels of biologically available nitric oxide, endothelial cells can not function properly. As we age (refer back to the Ageing of the arteries) our body can not produce the required amount of nitric oxide.

L-arginine is the amino acid that we sell. It converts to nitric oxide in the body and assists the unhealthy endothelial cells to produce nitric oxide.

As of the end of 2010, there are over 100,000 publications relevant to NO. Can you start to see why nitric oxide is sometimes referred to as “perhaps the single most important signal molecule in the body”. In fact, a Nobel prize was awarded for the finding.