So, what helps trigger nitric oxide production?
- Vitamin D: This vitamin is incredibly powerful for encouraging your endothelial layer. That’s why many people who are low in Vitamin D also have high bl00d pressure. Getting enough Vitamin D helps your body make more nitric oxide.
- Arginine: This is an amino acid that many people take as a supplement to help lower blood pressure because it promotes nitric oxide.
- Testosterone: Believe it or not, healthy testosterone levels also increase nitric oxide. Unfortunately, plastics in our environment can mess with testosterone levels, which is a real bummer.
- Magnesium: This mineral is another key player in increasing nitric oxide. Magnesium also helps relax muscles and can reduce stress hormones like cortisol, which can otherwise increase your blood pressure. Plus, magnesium is super crucial for keeping calcium from building up in your arteries in the first place. Along with Vitamin D and Vitamin K2, magnesium helps prevent that unwanted calcium buildup.
Key Takeaways
The endothelial layer is crucial for bl00d pressure control, refining, clot prevention, and immune function.
- Insulin resistance, often resulted by too many carbs and constant snacking, can harm this layer.
- Nitric oxide relaxes blood vessels and encourages arterial health.
- Vitamin D, arginine, testosterone, and magnesium all help spark nitric oxide production.
- Magnesium, Vitamin D, and Vitamin K2 are key for preventing calcium buildup in arteries.
Debunking “Heart-Healthy” Myths
It’s pretty popular to see foods like certain cereals or seed oils marketed as “heart-healthy.” But let’s take a closer look at that. For example, some cereals can get a “heart-healthy” stamp if just over half of their ingredients are whole grains. This means they can still have purified grains and sugars, which, in my opinion, isn’t truly wholesome.
