The Impact Nitric Oxide Has On Your Health with Dr. Nathan Bryan and Amy Stuttle
category: Podcast
Loss of nitric oxide production is recognized as the earliest event in the onset and progression of most, if not all, chronic diseases. This includes the number 1 killer of men and women worldwide, cardiovascular disease. Victory Men’s Health CEO and host of “Women Want Strong Men Podcast”, Amy Stuttle, interviewed the nation’s leading expert, Dr. Nathan Bryan on the podcast to deep dive into all things nitric oxide. To listen to the full podcast click here.
Dr. Nathan Bryan is an inventor, biochemist, and professor, who made a name for himself as a pioneer in nitric oxide drug discovery. He is credited with significant discoveries in nitric oxide function, production, and metabolism, and has been published extensively in peer-reviewed scientific journals. Dr. Bryan is a professor at Baylor College of Medicine in the Department of Molecular and Human Genetics and has authored and/or edited 6 books. In his free time he is a real life “John Dutton” and runs his own cattle ranch in Texas.
What is Nitric Oxide?
Simply described, nitric oxide (NO) is a gas produced in the lining of the blood vessel. Bryan breaks it down further, “It acts like a hormone, hormones signal the body to do something. Nitric oxide signals the blood vessels to relax and dilate, so you can increase oxygen and nutrient delivery to down-stream blood vessels. It also influences the central nervous system in the brain as a neural transmitter which is how cells in the brain communicate. It’s how our immune system kills off invading pathogens like viruses, fungal infections, bacteria.”
It has such a broad role in the body that a loss of nitric oxide is attributed to most if not all chronic diseases including Alzheimer’s, heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease, and pulmonary disease. This molecule is so important that in 1998 three scientists won a Nobel Prize for their discovery. Bryan had the unique opportunity to work alongside one of those scientists, Louis Ignarro.
How do you know if you are deficient? Nitric oxide is processed by the body in less than a second which makes detecting and diagnosing a deficiency challenging. Dr Bryan developed “at home” test strips to measure salivary nitrate. Testing strips can be bought here.
Common culprits of low nitric oxide include endothelial dysfunction, not eating enough green leafy vegetables, using fluoride toothpastes/mouthwashes, and proton pump inhibitors (PPI’s). Let’s break those down further.
Endothelial refers to a thin layer of cells that line the blood vessels. This under appreciated organ plays a crucial role in making nitric oxide and delivering oxygen and nutrients to individuals throughout the body. Dysfunction of the endothelium is directly involved in vascular disease, heart disease, diabetes, kidney failure, tumor growth, venous thrombosis, and viral infections (i.e.Covid). Dr. Bryan’s supplement NEO40 was granted FDA investigational new drug clearance as part of the coronavirus treatment program, and is currently in clinical trials examining the benefits of nitric oxide in African American patients battling COVID19 with comorbidities.
Eat your Veggies! Vegetables rich in nitrates and nitrate can be converted into NO. Foods rich in NO include green leafy vegetables (kale, arugula, spinach), beets, radishes, and cabbage. Bryan notes that organic doesn’t always guarantee the vegetable is rich in nitrates and nutrients. The key is to find fruits and veggies that have not been exposed to herbicides, pesticides, or GMO. Try your local farmers’ market for better sourced veggies that have been planted in rich soil.
Stop using fluoride toothpaste and mouthwash.Over 200 million Americans potentially destroy bacterial NO production by using antiseptic mouthwash everyday. Fluoride is the most common antiseptic recommended by dentists to prevent periodontitis and gingivitis. What they don’t tell you is that fluoride is a neurotoxin that wreaks havoc on the oral microbiome. Not only does it kill the bad bacteria, but also the good bacteria that all humans need for a healthy metabolism. Bryan notes that fluoride can impact and raise blood pressure. In research it has been shown that after only one week, blood pressure increased by more than 25mmHg. Thankfully, within four days of stopping fluoride the oral microbiome reestablishes and blood pressure normalizes. Good fluoride free toothpastes are hard to find so Bryan recommends this Himalaya fluoride free toothpaste. Great news is Dr. Bryan is also in the process of making a nitric oxide toothpaste!
Proton Pump Inhibitors, aka antacids, are among the most used medications in the U.S. These drugs completely inhibit nitric oxide production by eliminating acid in the stomach. No stomach acid equals no nitric oxide.
How to replete Nitric oxide?
Restoring NO production can lead to better vascular production and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Nitric oxide supplements are easy to order online and over-the-counter, but NOT all are created equal. Dr Bryan has patented several nitric oxide supplements proven with hundreds of research studies to back the efficacy. Victory’s favorite daily lozenges can be found here.
Dr. Bryan closes out the podcast discussion recommending a must-read book called, “You can fix your brain.” The author, a friend of Bryans deep dives in to practical steps to improve cognitive functioning by evaluating what’s on your fork, the environment around us, and how we take care of our brain.
To find out more about all thing’s nitric oxide and our guest Dr. Nathan Bryan, you can follow him at.
If you enjoyed this blog, check out the Women Want Strong Men podcast on all major streaming platforms.
