The molecule of life: Nitric oxide has various uses:
• It plays a key role as a vasodilator in many biological processes.
• Administering nitric oxide to patients who suffer from pulmonary and cardiovascular problems allows for facilitated breathing.
• Its role as a vasodilator means that it can be used to relieve ischaemic pain, as well as alleviate pressure on the heart in angina sufferers.
• Nitric oxide is a main ingredient of bodybuilding supplements, which are used in order to increase levels of available energy. It also promotes the formation of muscle and consequently it improves the body’s performance.
Despite the major importance of this molecule, nitric oxide is little known outside the scientific research community.
Nitric oxide is a highly reactive gas that is naturally synthesised by the human body. It serves a wide range of physiological functions, being involved in various chemical reactions in circulation, inflammation, apprehension and memory retention, digestion, and the release of oxygen in red blood cells and body tissues.
Despite nitric oxide being necessary for a healthy lifestyle, many people actually lack high levels of it. Various factors affecting our lifestyle in a negative way have made the need for nitric oxide absolutely paramount. Such factors are our hectic daily routine, our sedentary behaviour, the depletion of minerals in the soil, exposure to smoke and other carcinogens, and an unhealthy diet.
Nitric oxide is not actually present in nutritional supplements. Instead, the supplements contain amino acids and other macromolecules that stimulate its production.
Furthermore, nitric oxide can be produced from readily available substances, such as nitrates and nitrites. These molecules can be found in several plant species, one of which is Moringa citrofolia (known as Noni or Great Morinda).
From 1999 to 2000, Dr. Thomas Burke and his research group conducted in vitro experiments on endothelial cells using diluted Noni juice in his independent laboratory based in Denver, Colorado.
They observed that Noni juice promoted the synthesis of nitric oxide. Their discovery helped to explain the significant beneficial effects towards a person’s health when they drink Noni juice.
Robert Furchgott, Louis Ignarro and Ferid Murrad were the first scientists to use nitric oxide in the field of medicine. Their resulting research led to them winning the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1988.
Further research and experiments followed this significant discovery, which allowed the applications of nitric oxide to be expanded to the areas of health and fitness.