Now it appears stretching is great for your heart.

A recent study found that leg stretching exercises were associated with improved vascular function.

Signs of vascular improvement were observed after study participants underwent 12 weeks of training in passive stretching (PS).

Not only was blood pressure reduced, but there was a:

• 30% increase in femoral change in blood flow
• 25% increase in popliteal artery flow-mediated dilatation
• 8% increase in brachial artery flow-mediated dilatation
• 25% decrease in central arterial stiffness
• 17% decrease in peripheral arterial stiffness

The control group that did not stretch had no significant changes in these measures, according to Emiliano Cè, of the University of Milan, Italy, and colleagues reporting in the Journal of Physiology.

Not only did the vascular health improve in the muscles stretched, but other arteries benefited as well. So the heart arteries can benefit from leg stretching!

According to the study’s lead author, ” 12-week PS training is effective in improving vascular function and decreasing stiffness of the directly involved arteries (i.e. femoral and popliteal arteries of the stretched limbs) and the arteries not directly involved (i.e. contralateral femoral and popliteal arteries and brachial artery) in PS training.”

“Such changes suggest PS training-induced local and systemic cardiovascular changes” the authors wrote. “Interestingly, systemic changes, in particular, in the vessels not directly involved in PS training, seemed to have a shorter duration in comparison to local adaptations, which are maintained in the arteries directly involved in PS training even after 6 weeks from its cessation.”

This was not a large study and only included 39 people. 14 were randomized to stretching on both sides, 13 to stretching on the right side only, and 12 to no stretching. These were supervised training sessions, held five times a week, and required participants to perform sets of five stretches.

It is likely the benefits of stretching were seen because of increased nitric oxide production and improvement in autonomic tone.

“PS has been shown to be an effective means to improve vascular function, with practical implications for its use as a novel non-pharmacological treatment for improving vascular health, reducing the overall cardiovascular risk, especially in individuals with limited mobility,” Cè and colleagues maintained.

The author of the study was excited about the results since stretching can be done at home and by yourself. This is perfect for “stay at home.” If you know me, I do not recommend staying at home but getting outside and getting active. You can do these stretching exercises anywhere, but I prefer outdoors whenever possible.

Before you stretch or after, I suggest our Nitric Oxide booster combo to crank up the blood flow.

The post Stretching is Great for Your Heart appeared first on TDW.

We learned this in medical school, but somewhere along the line, stomach acid became a villain that we needed to stop. We learned about drugs that would inhibit stomach acid production with names like Prilosec, Zantac, and Tagamet. And we started to prescribe them like crazy, propelling them to the best-selling drugs in the world.

And the damage has been catastrophic. You name the disease, and diminished stomach acid is a contributing factor. In this post, I am talking about heart disease.

Stomach Acid Increases Nitric Oxide 

Nitric oxide (NO) is 1 atom of nitrogen connected to 1 atom of oxygen. This compound floats around the body working its magic. NO opens up blood vessels, lowers inflammation, and naturally thins the blood. NO is CRITICAL for heart health.

And stomach acid makes nitric oxide. It does so by converting food sources of nitrite (NO2) into NO. No stomach acid, no NO. Big problem.

Stomach acid also helps digest protein so we can absorb amino acids. We need these amino acids as another way to make NO, thru arginine and citrulline.

Reasons Why Stomach Acid is Low 

Many factors here. Acid blockers are the obvious ones. Hypothyroidism or an underactive thyroid is also another contributing factor. We need thyroid hormone to make stomach acid. In fact, just the aging process leads to hypochlorhydria (low stomach acid).

Make sure your thyroid is in good shape, so make sure you get tested. For thyroid support, check out our Thyrokick supplement.

Get Your Acid Back 

Once your thyroid is back, the acid blockers have to go. Make sure you speak with your doctor first. Then, products like apple cider vinegar and lemon appear to stimulate acid and improve digestion.

Quite frankly, organic Paleo foods, sunshine, sleep, and lowering stress are necessary steps in stomach acid production. These are the basics and again, are necessary.

Supplements 

Digestive products containing betaine HCL and enzymes are well known in the natural health world for their efficacy. Just about all of our patients over 45 take our Digest. I created it with all the necessary components you need to digest your food, make nitric oxide, and live healthy and happy.

We suggest 2-3 caps of Digest in the middle of each meal. Keep a bottle on the kitchen table so you never forget. If you carry a purse, put a bottle in there as well. And one at the office too.

Let me know what you think.

The post We Need Stomach Acid to Prevent Heart Disease appeared first on TDW.

Nitric oxide is a small molecule that is naturally produced by the cells in your body. This means that it is also made by the cells of the innermost layer of the blood vessel lining, or endothelium. The endothelium is sensitive to physical and chemical effects on the blood vessels. Endothelial cells can get damaged from a variety of health conditions.  When the endothelium senses inflammation, toxin exposure, high blood pressure, high blood glucose, atherosclerosis, obesity, or emotional distress, it releases less nitric oxide.  The result of these chronic exposures or conditions is a nitric oxide deficiency.

Nitric oxide plays a role in the cardiovascular system, immune system and the nervous system. In fact, it is so important that the body has two pathways to generate the molecule. One depends upon sufficient levels of the amino acid L-arginine. The other depends upon an adequate supply of dietary nitrates.

What factors deplete NO levels?

1. Inflammation

   Chronic, systemic inflammation stresses and damages the endothelial lining leading to a decreased release of nitric oxide.

2. Toxin exposure

   Overtime, an accumulation of toxins also leads to damage to the endothelium and a reduction in NO release and NO levels.

3. Obesity

   Obesity reduces NO production by stimulating widespread inflammation and also causing harmful effects to the endothelial lining.

4. High blood pressure

   Uncontrolled, high blood pressure overtime can damage the endothelial lining. When this occurs, nitric oxide levels are reduced.

5. Stress

   Chronic stress has similar effects in the body as toxins do. Overtime, stress causes inflammation and damage to all cells in the body, including those of the blood vessels. As a result, NO can plummet.

6. Age

   With advancing age, the body becomes less efficient at producing NO. By age 40, the body produces significantly less NO than it did in teenage years.

7. Medications

   Proton pump inhibitors, or PPI’s, are one of the major group of medications that significantly deplete NO levels. The goal of these meds is to reduce stomach acid. They also suppress the body’s natural ability to create NO.

8. Diet low in natural nitrates

   Natural nitrates are the building blocks of NO. These molecules are found in plant foods. If your diet is low in these precursor molecules, the body does not have enough building blocks to manufacture NO. Dark green leafy vegetables and beets are two powerhouse foods rich in nitrates.

9. Sedentary lifestyle

   Regular exercise or movement is needed to stimulate NO production. A sedentary lifestyle leads to low NO levels.

Why is NO important to health?

NO is key to ensuring that blood, oxygen and nutrients reach every cell of your body. NO is a chemical messenger that signals the arteries to open up, oxygen to reach tissues, brain cells to communicate with one another and for immune cells to protect the body from invading bacteria and cancer. 

It should be noted that nitric oxide is one of the most important molecules for cardiovascular health. It is a vasodilator meaning it is responsible for relaxing and dilating blood vessels (keeping them wide open), increasing blood flow and reducing blood pressure. It is also an important signaling molecule that is needed to keep cardiomyocytes (heart muscle cells) properly functioning. NO also assists with nutrient exchange in the cardiovascular system.

When there are several heart disease risk factors present such as smoking, stress, inflammation or lack of physical activity, then NO levels drop and blood vessels can begin to accumulate fatty plaque. Inflammation comes next, and this sets the stage for atherosclerosis and heart disease leading to a heart attack and stroke.

A NO deficiency can affect your health in a lot of different ways. High blood pressure, heart disease, abnormal cholesterol levels, arterial plaque, erectile dysfunction, blood clots, Type 2 Diabetes and dementia can all result from low NO levels.

Common symptoms of low nitric oxide levels?

• High blood pressure
• Coronary heart disease
• Heart attacks or strokes
• Blood clots
• Anxiety
• Insomnia
• Immune dysfunction
• Neurodegeneration
• Loss of libido
• Erectile dysfunction

How does one know if they have low nitric oxide levels? One easy way is to use saliva test strips, which allow you to analyze your own nitric oxide status in seconds.

How can I boost my NO levels?

1. Eat more leafy greens and these top NO- boosting foods

   An adequate dietary intake of nitrates is required to produce sufficient nitric oxide levels in the body.

2. Exercise at least 30 minutes per day

   Regular physical activity increases the production of nitric oxide in your cells.

3. Lose weight

   If you are overweight this can impact your NO production. Losing weight and keeping it off can help to regulate your nitric oxide levels.

4. Limit mouthwash use

   The bacteria in your mouth are needed to convert dietary nitrates to nitric oxide. Mouthwash eradicates the bacteria in your mouth.

5. Breathe through your nose to release NO

   Slow, deep breathing through the nose can help to release more nitric oxide.

6. Get sunshine

   The sun’s rays have been shown to release nitric oxide from the skin. Sunlight can alter levels of NO in both the skin and blood.

7. Take our nitric oxide boosting combination of supplements

   This powerful supplement combo includes:

   • Vessel Support
     • This product contains L-arginine, L-citrulline and taurine to boost NO levels. Also, contains grape seed extract to prevent the breakdown of NO.
   • Heart Beet
     • This supplement contains an abundant source of pure dietary nitrates, which convert to NO and boost NO levels.

The post Top Causes of Depleted Nitric Oxide Levels appeared first on TDW.

Cardiologist Dr. Jack Wolfson shares his favorite foods to boost nitric oxide naturally.

By watching this video you’ll learn:

• How nitric oxide helps your body prevent disease
• Organic foods you should eat to boost nitric oxide
• Nutritional supplements that boost nitric oxide

The post Cardiologist Shares Top Foods to Boost Nitric Oxide Naturally appeared first on TDW.

In this short 2-minute video, cardiologist Dr. Jack Wolfson explains the importance of nitric oxide, and how you can naturally boost nitric oxide levels in your body.

By watching this video you will learn:

• The importance of nitric oxide to your overall health.
• How to test for nitric oxide levels
• How to naturally boost nitric oxide

The post 3 Natural Ways to Boost Nitric Oxide Levels appeared first on TDW.

Here’s an infographic of 10 foods known to boost nitric oxide.

Put This Infographic On Your Site: We welcome the publication of this infographic on your blog and website. To use this infographic, please copy and paste the code below onto your website and/or blog.

<a href=”https://www.thedrswolfson.com/10-heart-healthy-foods-known-boost-nitric-oxide” ><img src=”http://websitedesigninhoustontexas.com/drwolfson/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/10-nitric-oxide.jpg” alt=”The Drs Wolfson Infographic – 10 Foods to Boost Nitric Oxide” width=”1000″ border=”0″ /></a><a href=”https://www.thedrswolfson.com/10-heart-healthy-foods-known-boost-nitric-oxide” style=”width:100%;text-align:center;” >Infographic by The Drs. Wolfson</a>

The post 10 Heart Healthy Foods Known to Boost Nitric Oxide appeared first on TDW.

One of the most important molecules for blood vessel health is nitric oxide (NO). It is a major vasodilator, keeping blood vessels open and flowing. Doctors have prescribed nitroglycerin for many years to patients with chronic chest pain (angina pectoris). Presidents’ Dwight Eisenhower and Lyndon Johnson lived on the stuff. Nitroglycerin gets converted to nitric oxide to open those pipes.

Our Body Makes NO- if we give it the tools it needs.

There are two cellular pathways in the body that generate nitric oxide. Dietary sources of nitrates and nitrites enter the body through the gastrointestinal tract and are subsequently converted into nitric oxide. In a second pathway, an enzyme known as nitric oxide synthase (NOS) synthesizes nitric oxide from the amino acids L-arginine. L-citrulline and oxygen. Nitric oxide can then impact vasodilation, blood pressure regulation, inhibition of endothelial inflammatory cell recruitment, and platelet aggregation.

The 3rd way to boost nitric oxide…GET SUNSHINE.

In short, nitric oxide can reduce blood pressure, prevent heart artery blockage, and prevent stroke. It is fantastic for erectile function too…male AND female.

So let’s talk about 10 food items that can boost your nitric oxide levels AND improve your health.

1. Dark Chocolate (raw cacao)

Guess what, chocolate is healthy. Well, that is only partially true, but at least we got your attention. The raw cacao bean increases nitric oxide and is loaded with antioxidants. Cacao can lower blood pressure and markers of inflammation. Unfortunately, chocolate is loaded with sugar. Save it for special occasions and skip the milk chocolate. Only go for the dairy-free dark variety. I like to add raw cacao to my breakfast “cereal” of nuts and seeds along with coconut flakes and homemade nut milk.

2. Citrus

Oranges, lemons, and grapefruit contain high amounts of vitamin C, which has been shown to protect your precious nitric oxide molecules from free radical damage. Vitamin C from any source raises levels of nitric oxide synthase, the enzyme that converts L-arginine into nitric oxide. Vitamin C is also a co-factor in reducing dietary nitrite to nitric oxide. Add citrus peel is another excellent way to boost NO. Try out This product.

3. Pomegranate

This delicious fruit boosts nitric oxide and is a tremendous anti-inflammatory. It also reduces oxidative stress, a leading factor in the production of coronary artery disease. Polyphenols in the pomegranate assist in converting dietary nitrite to nitric oxide. These same polyphenols block nitric oxide from converting back to nitrite.

Pomegranate inhibits the formation of monocyte chemoattractant protein, a molecule that recruits inflammatory cells to the blood vessel lining. This is a major factor in coronary artery disease. Cranberries and other berries would have similar benefits.

4. Walnuts

Most people know that walnuts are high in heart healthy vitamin E. But because of their high amount of L-arginine, walnuts keep the blood vessels running freely. Interestingly, walnuts look a lot like the human brain, so eat them for brain health as well. Most other nuts are a good source of arginine. Soak your nuts for six hours prior to using. Try out this Organic Walnuts.

5. Arugula

Also known, as rocket lettuce, arugula is the highest source of nitrates known. This bitter green is perfect in salads or sautéed with other veggies. We mix with grilled onions and use on top of our grass-fed burgers. I usually eat it straight out of the bag in handfuls.

6. Spinach

Want to be strong like Popeye? Eat your spinach (but fresh, not out of the can). This leafy green is packed with nutrients, and of course, nitrates. Add to salads, soups, sautéed or just straight out of the garden.

7. Watermelon

Watermelon is loaded with the amino acid, L-citrulline, which gets converted into L-arginine and ultimately nitric oxide. So many people reach for L-arginine supplements, but the body does not absorb it well. L-citrulline is easy absorbed. The rind is where you find the most amount of L-citrulline.

8. Beets

Beetroot is loaded with nitrates. There are plenty of studies that confirm this food as a vasodilator which lowers blood pressure and improves erectile function. Also, beets are an excellent source of anti-oxidants and contain betalains, which are anti-inflammatory. Beets also decrease blood stickiness. Check out Heart Beet by The Drs. Wolfson. All organic beetroot powder here.

9. Meat and Seafood

Grass-fed meat and wild seafood are a wonderful source of CoQ10. This nutrient is a necessary co-factor to raise nitric oxide. Liver and other organs contain the highest amount of CoQ10. Statin drugs lower CoQ10 by 40%!

10. Garlic

Garlic does not contain much in the way of nitrates, however it jump-starts their production by boosting the enzyme nitric oxide synthase (NOS). NOS converts L-arginine into nitric oxide in the presence of other cofactors such as vitamin B2 and B3. Studies also confirm that garlic supplements lower blood pressure and have many more benefits. Read more here.

What About Nutritional Supplements?

Nature intended us to meet our nutritional needs through food.

Unfortunately, due to depletion of our soils and toxins we’re exposed to in everyday living, food alone is not enough for most of us to meet the nitric oxide requirements we need for healthy living.

That’s where nutritional supplements come in. They can be an excellent way to give your body the nitric oxide it needs.

We have a Nitric Oxide Booster Combo that’s ideal to crank up the nitric oxide. It includes our organic beetroot powder (called “Heart Beet Powder”) and our Vessel Support supplement, giving you a complete and comprehensive boost in nitric oxide. Get it at a special price and learn more about it here.

That’s it for NOw.

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The post 10 Foods to Boost Nitric Oxide appeared first on TDW.