Have you noticed that as you get older, things just don’t work quite as well as they used to? This isn’t just in your head. One of the key reasons for this is the decline in a crucial molecule called nitric oxide. As your nitric oxide levels fall with age, it can lead to a whole host of problems affecting your heart, brain, muscles, and even your reproductive health. This fact has not gone unnoticed by predatory supplement brands, who are all too eager to take your money by spinning a story that their magic pill will stop this decline. But I’m here to tell you there’s a better way. It’s cheap, it’s incredibly effective, and most importantly, it does not line the pockets of supplement companies.
Before we dive in, it’s important to understand that we can’t just swallow a nitric oxide pill. Nitric oxide itself is an incredibly unstable gas. Instead, we need to find smart strategies to help our bodies produce more of it. For years, the market has been flooded with options, from prescription drugs to over-the-counter amino acids, all claiming to be the answer. But many of these fall short, either because the body builds a tolerance to them or because they simply don’t work as advertised. In this article, we’ll cut through the noise, look at the science behind the most popular options, and I’ll reveal the simple, evidence-based nitric oxide booster that I personally use. (Based on the insights of Dr. Brad Stanfield)
Key Takeaways
- Common Supplements Fall Short: Popular ingredients like L-arginine and L-citrulline have shown underwhelming results in clinical trials for boosting nitric oxide or improving performance.
- Beetroot Has Potential but Problems: Beetroot juice can effectively lower blood pressure, but the nitrate content in supplements is wildly inconsistent, and whole beets are high in oxalates, which can be problematic for some individuals.
- Arugula is a Superior Choice: Arugula (or rocket) is one of the highest vegetable sources of nitrates, surpassing beets, but is low in oxalates, making it a safer and more effective whole-food option.
- Whole Foods Over Pills: A food-based approach provides a reliable, safe, and inexpensive way to boost nitric oxide without the risks and inconsistencies of supplements or the tolerance issues of prescription drugs.
1. The Problem with Most Nitric Oxide Supplements
If you walk into any health store, you’ll likely see shelves lined with products marketed as nitric oxide boosters. One of the most common ingredients you’ll find is L-arginine, an amino acid that is a key building block in the body’s primary pathway for producing nitric oxide. It seems logical: give the body more raw material, and it will make more of the final product. However, the science doesn’t quite back this up. Many human studies have examined L-arginine supplements and found that while they do increase L-arginine levels in the blood, this doesn’t reliably translate into higher nitric oxide levels or improved athletic performance.
This led researchers to another option: L-citrulline. Your body converts L-citrulline into L-arginine after you ingest it. Interestingly, research has shown that taking L-citrulline is actually more effective at raising L-arginine levels in your blood than taking L-arginine itself. So, could this be the key? Unfortunately, the research here has also been underwhelming, especially when it comes to performance. A 2023 study, for example, tested L-citrulline in healthy young adults to see if it would increase their time to exhaustion during exercise, and it found no effect. While a 2019 meta-analysis did f