Nitric oxide is a gas produced by the cells lining your arteries, and its job is to widen those arteries so blood can flow freely to your organs, muscles, and extremities. Research suggests nitric oxide production tends to decline with age — commonly cited as roughly 50% lower past age 40 — which can make the heart work harder to push blood through the body and can reduce circulation to areas like the hands and feet. Here are several evidence-informed ways to support your body’s natural nitric oxide production.
Key Takeaways
- Nitric oxide widens arteries so blood can circulate freely; production tends to decline with age, which can affect circulation to the hands and feet.
- Garlic (crushed and rested before eating), nitrate-rich vegetables, watermelon rind, and cacao/blueberries are food-based ways to support nitric oxide production.
- Regular brisk walking, nose breathing with humming, and moderate sunlight exposure are lifestyle habits with research behind them for supporting nitric oxide.
- Strong antiseptic mouthwash can wipe out the oral bacteria needed to convert dietary nitrates into nitric oxide.
- Smoking, heavy alcohol use, and a diet high in processed food and sugar generate free radicals that actively damage nitric oxide and artery walls — addressing these matters as much as adding supportive foods.
Foods and Nutrients That Support Nitric Oxide
Garlic
Crushing garlic and letting it sit exposed to air for about 10 minutes before eating or cooking it allows a compound called allicin to form, which research has linked to short-term increases in nitric oxide activity. Aged garlic extract is also studied as a supplement for this purpose, typically in the range of a couple grams daily, though you don’t need a supplement to get started — eating a couple of raw or lightly prepared cloves regularly is a reasonable place to begin.
Nitrate-Rich Vegetables
Plants absorb nitrates from soil, and oral bacteria convert these into nitrite, which your stomach acid can further convert into nitric oxide. Foods like arugula, beetroot, celery, lettuce, Swiss chard, and dried seaweed are good sources. Pairing them with a drizzle of olive oil may help with absorption of their fat-soluble nutrients. It’s worth noting that these plant-based nitrates work differently in the body than the nitrates found in processed meats, which are generally not considered part of a heart-healthy diet.
Cacao and Blueberries
A simple shake of raw cacao powder, blueberries, and water or almond milk (dairy milk may interfere with flavonoid absorption) combines two nitric-oxide-supportive compounds: anthocyanins from blueberries, which help activate the endothelial cells lining your blood vessels, and flavanols from cacao, which are associated with supporting vascular flexibility.
Magnesium and Potassium
Low intake of magnesium or potassium is associated with tighter, more constricted arteries, which can reduce circulation to the extremities and contribute to tingling or numbness in the feet. Foods like beet greens, pumpkin seeds, hemp hearts, avocado, and acorn squash are good sources of both.
Watermelon Rind
The white and light-green flesh near a watermelon’s skin is a concentrated source of L-citrulline, an amino acid your body converts into arginine, which arteries use to produce nitric oxide. L-citrulline supplements are also available and are generally considered more effective than direct arginine supplementation for raising nitric oxide, since less of it is broken down in the gut before absorption.
Panax Ginseng
This root has a long history of traditional use for energy and circulation, and contains compounds called ginsenosides that may support nitric oxide-producing enzymes in the arteries while also acting as an antioxidant. Korean red ginseng extract is the most studied form for circulation, with typical studied doses in the range of 1,000–2,000 mg daily — check with your doctor before starting, especially if you take blood pressure medication or blood thinners.
Grass-Fed Beef
Grass-fed beef contains coenzyme Q10 and carnosine, both of which have antioxidant properties that may help protect existing nitric oxide from being broken down by free radicals, and may help reduce the stiffening of artery walls over time. These nutrients are more concentrated in organ meats and slow-cooked cuts. Adding herbs and spices like turmeric, cinnamon, cayenne, cloves, ginger, rosemary, and oregano may offer additional support, and hibiscus tea has research behind it for supporting healthy blood pressure when consumed regularly.
Lifestyle Factors That Matter
Sunlight Exposure
UVA exposure can convert nitrate stores in the skin into nitric oxide, which is one proposed reason people often feel more relaxed after time outdoors. Sensible, moderate sun exposure — balanced against skin cancer risk — may offer a modest, temporary boost.
Mouthwash Habits
Nitrate-to-nitrite conversion partly depends on bacteria in your mouth. Regularly using strong antiseptic mouthwashes containing chlorhexidine, CPC, or alcohol can reduce these bacteria. A gentler mouthwash based on xylitol or baking soda may be a better fit if you’re trying to support this pathway, while still keeping your mouth clean.
Regular Movement
Sitting for long periods is associated with narrower arteries and a higher risk of clotting and swelling, particularly in the legs. Movement stimulates the eNOS enzyme responsible for nitric oxide production. Research supports regular brisk walking, several times a week over a period of weeks, as an effective way to meaningfully raise nitric oxide levels and improve baseline circulation over time.
Meal Timing
Chronically elevated insulin — from frequent snacking or eating throughout the day — is associated with reduced nitric oxide production over time. Eating within a shorter daily window (for example, an 8-hour eating window) without changing your total calorie or food intake may help give your body more time with lower insulin levels, though this approach isn’t necessary or appropriate for everyone and is worth discussing with a doctor if you have diabetes or a history of disordered eating.
Nasal Breathing and Humming
Your paranasal sinuses continuously produce nitric oxide, but mainly when you breathe through your nose. Research has found that humming while exhaling substantially increases nasal nitric oxide output compared to quiet breathing, likely due to the vibration increasing air mixing in the sinuses. A few minutes of slow humming while breathing through your nose is a simple, low-effort way to make use of this pathway.
What Can Undermine Nitric Oxide
No amount of nitric-oxide-supportive food or habits will fully offset ongoing damage from smoking, vaping, heavy alcohol use, or a diet high in processed food and added sugar. These habits increase free radicals that can react with nitric oxide to form a harmful byproduct that damages artery walls over time. Supporting circulation is as much about reducing these exposures as it is about adding the foods and habits above.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need supplements to raise nitric oxide, or can food alone do it?
Food and lifestyle changes are a reasonable starting point — garlic, nitrate-rich vegetables, watermelon rind, and regular movement all have research behind them. Supplements like L-citrulline, aged garlic extract, or Korean red ginseng are options some people add on top of that foundation, but they aren’t required to see benefits.
Is mouthwash really connected to nitric oxide production?
Yes — part of the pathway that converts dietary nitrates into nitric oxide relies on bacteria in your mouth. Strong antiseptic mouthwashes (containing chlorhexidine, CPC, or alcohol) can reduce these bacteria, which is why a gentler, xylitol- or baking-soda-based mouthwash may be a better fit if this is a priority for you.
Is intermittent fasting necessary to support nitric oxide?
No — it’s one option some people use to help manage insulin levels, which are linked to nitric oxide production, but it isn’t necessary or appropriate for everyone. If you have diabetes, are pregnant, or have a history of disordered eating, talk to a doctor before changing your eating window.
Can I take ginseng or garlic supplements if I’m on blood pressure medication?
Possibly, but check with your doctor first. Both garlic and ginseng can have effects on blood pressure and blood clotting, so combining them with blood pressure medication or blood thinners should be discussed with a healthcare provider rather than started on your own.
Nitric Oxide Support Checklist
- ☐ Add a couple of crushed garlic cloves (rested 10 minutes) to your meals a few times a week
- ☐ Include a serving of nitrate-rich vegetables (arugula, beetroot, celery) at meals
- ☐ Take a brisk walk several times a week
- ☐ Practice a few minutes of nasal breathing with slow humming
- ☐ Switch to a xylitol or baking-soda based mouthwash if you use antiseptic mouthwash daily
- ☐ Get some sensible daily sunlight exposure
- ☐ Cut back on smoking, heavy alcohol use, and processed/sugary foods
This article is for general educational purposes and is not a substitute for personalized medical advice. Speak with a qualified healthcare provider before making significant changes to your diet or starting a new supplement, especially if you take blood pressure medication, blood thinners, or have an existing health condition.