Is Nitric Oxide Really That Bad?

[scoobydoo]

I’m 21 but have been experiencing erection issues for several years. I have found that increasing nitrates from plants have been beneficial but a lot seem to be of the opinion that nitric oxide is bad?

Brief history of myself:

Went vegan for 6months - terrible energy, bad digestion, joint pain, but incredible boners

blood sugar became an issue and I neurotically tried fixing the problem through IF and keto - helped my mental fog but lowered thyroid

have been told I have mold toxicity (have high mycotoxins in urine)

im trying peaty to find a good in between less extreme diet, but frankly my erection quality has gone downwards dramatically unless I consume high levels of nitrates

thoughts?

 

[Ron J]

From what I've read here, it doesn't seem to be favorable, but I was going to ask if eNOS/NO isn't as bad as long as it's accompanied with optimal CO2(if that's possible).

 

[TheBeard]

I've always felt best physically and mentally when experiencing a constant pump throughout the day with apparent veins, which I believe to be signs of high NO.
Whether it's desirable long term I'm not sure.

 

[GreekDemiGod]

nitrates from plants

So, I don't consume veggies on Peat. Except carrots and ocasionally the veggies in soups. I too struggle with erections.

 

[scoobydoo]

So, I don't consume veggies on Peat. Except carrots and ocasionally the veggies in soups. I too struggle with erections.

yeah my practitioner recommended me to add nitrites like arugula
I’ve been having a big salad of it before bed each night and I have seen some benefits
I would give it a try and see if it helps you

 

[scoobydoo]

From what I've read here, it doesn't seem to be favorable, but I was going to ask if eNOS/NO isn't as bad as long as it's accompanied with optimal CO2(if that's possible).

Right that’s my thoughts
Perhaps a mix of both is best?

 

[GreekDemiGod]

Can anyone comment on the below? Guy's an expert on hormones, may have a vegan bias.

 

[Hans]

I’m 21 but have been experiencing erection issues for several years. I have found that increasing nitrates from plants have been beneficial but a lot seem to be of the opinion that nitric oxide is bad?

Brief history of myself:

Went vegan for 6months - terrible energy, bad digestion, joint pain, but incredible boners

blood sugar became an issue and I neurotically tried fixing the problem through IF and keto - helped my mental fog but lowered thyroid

have been told I have mold toxicity (have high mycotoxins in urine)

im trying peaty to find a good in between less extreme diet, but frankly my erection quality has gone downwards dramatically unless I consume high levels of nitrates

thoughts?

There are about 3 enzymes that our bodies can create NO; inducible NOS, neuronal NOS and endothelial NOS.
iNOS is induced by bacterial infections, endotoxins and other foreign invaders and iNOS creates about 1000 times more NO than eNOS.
eNOS creates enough NO for optimal vascular health.

So in essence, iNOS creates pathological amounts of NO, whereas eNOS creates necessary amounts of NO.
NO in excess can cause oxidative stress in the body, DNA damage and lipid peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which propagate via peroxyl radicals (ROO•) within the membrane, as well as in the low-density lipoproteins (LDL).

If iNOS is low and eNOS is optimal, you should have non-harmful amounts of NO.
The body can also make NO from nitrates in food, but research shows that the boost in NO, induced by veggies (which is about 2-3 fold), does not cause oxidative stress as there are anti-oxidant compounds in the veggies that protect the body against the mild increase in NO.
So beetroot juice or spinach, etc, should not be an issue, although pure arginine might be an issue.

Additionally, excess NO inhibits mitochondrial function which increases the production of the free radical superoxide. NO reacts with superoxide to create peroxynitrate. Peroxynitrate uncouples eNOS, to start creating superoxide instead of NO, thus leading to more oxidative damage and potentially hypertension.

 

[lampofred]

The same system produces dopamine, serotonin, and nitric oxide, so when one is high, the other two are low. Lowering serotonin is good, so that's why it might feel good to have high nitric oxide in some cases if your normal situation is high serotonin/low nitric oxide/low dopamine, but a better situation is to have high dopamine (salt will raise dopamine and lower serotonin/nitric oxide), and the best situation is to have no neurotransmitters at all, relying purely on thyroid.