Does Nitric Oxide (NO) Work

Nitric Oxide, known for its use in the past as the laughing gas, a gas which was used as a form of anaesthetic has been transformed and given a different role within the world of sports supplements, however some of the characteristics still remain the same.

Since it’s introduction to the market the hype hasn’t calmed down.. but what’s all the hype about? And what does it do?

A lot of claims around NO are being thrown around, they suggest that it can:

Build muscle

Enhance strength

Burn fat

Improve recovery

Nitirc Oxide works as a vasodilator of the blood vessels which increases the rate of blood flow, theoretically, this would increase the amount of oxygen and nutrients needed for contraction.

The body produces NO naturally with the presence of Arginine, an amino acid. Most NO supplements on the market are effectively high doses of Arginine causing the body to produce more natural sources of NO than it would otherwise would.

Does NO cause you to build more muscle? NO has been shown to increase the release of growth hormones within the body, a proven way to build muscle. Several published papers have looked at trials using a placebo and they all came to the same result, which is NO can help you build muscle quickly. It’s shown that it can improve the body composition by burning fat while increasing muscle mass.

This growth in muscle however doesn’t translate to an increase in strength. Until today, there isn’t a well conducted trial that showed an increase strength, they all seem to suggest that strength remains the same while muscle mass increases.

Does NO improve recovery? Well research suggests that it does! Nitric Oxide is able to offset the muscle damage caused by an intense lifting session. Taken with a high carbohydrate dose too, it was found it increases the rate of replenishment of glycogen with the muscle reserves.

Nitric Oxide is well tolerated by the body and only in a rare set of circumstances does it cause stomach upsets. Special care should be taken if you’re on any blood pressure medication since NO can drastically drop your blood pressure, so consult your doctor before taking it. The long term effects of NO are not clear yet since it’s not been researched for months nor years.

A dose of 2-5g daily is suggested daily dose. However, overall, I wouldn’t advice taking it. There isn’t enough research to back it and it’s effects are not guaranteed, so personally i’d stay away.

References

Alba-Roth J, Müller O, Schopohl J, von Werder K. Arginine stimulates growth hormone secretion by suppressing endogenous somatostatin secretion. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1988; 67 (6): 1186–9. doi:10.1210/jcem-67-6-1186. PMID 2903866.

Johgen W, Meininger CJ, Johgen SC, Li P, Lee MJ, Smith SB, Spencer TE, Fried SK, Wu G. Dietary L-Arginine Supplementation Reduces White Fat Gain and Enhances Skeletal Muscle and Brown Fat Masses in Diet-Induced Obese Rats. J Nutr 2008; 139 (2): 230-37

Ohta F, Takagi T, Sato H, Ignarro LJ. Low-dose L-arginine administration increases microperfusion of hindlimb muscle without affecting blood pressure in rats. PNAS 2007; 104 (4): 1407-11

Elam RP, Hardin DH, Sutton RA, Hagen L. Effects of arginine and ornithine on strength, lean body mass and urinary hydroxyproline in adult males. J Sports MedPhys Fitness 1989; 29 (1): 52-6

McConell GK. Effects of L-arginine supplementation on exercise metabolism. ClinNutr Metab Care. 2007; 10 (1): 46-51

Yaspelkis BB 3rd, Ivy JL. The effect of a carbohydrate–arginine supplement on postexercise carbohydrate metabolism. Int J Sport Nutr. 1999; 9 (3): 241-50.