There is so much noise out there about stress and bad news leading to high blood pressure, it’s important to keep an eye on our own. High blood pressure occurs when the force of your blood pushing against the walls of your arteries is consistently too high. High blood pressure can lead to various health issues, such as heart and kidney problems. Consuming nitrates has been shown to help blood pressure because your body converts the nitrates to nitric oxide, which then causes blood vessels to relax and dilate, resulting in lower blood pressure. Various studies have shown nitrates help lower blood pressure by increasing the production of nitric oxide. Additionally, it has been thought people with high blood pressure have an impaired ability to produce nitric oxide.
Nitric oxide is necessary for healthy blood flow.
Healthy blood flow is essential for the heart, brain and all of our other organs. It also helps promote endurance, soothes sore muscles and can even help with healthy aging. Nitric oxide is synthesized and released into the endothelial cells, which is a cell layer lining all blood vessels, with the help of nitric oxide synthases that convert arginine into citrulline which helps produce nitric oxide in the process. We need to do what we can to stay away from stress, toxic environments and bad foods. But we also need a good level of nitric oxide, for a balanced, healthy body that will serve us well as we go through our happy lives with our families.