What role does nitric oxide play in promoting proper blood flow throughout the body?
Plenty! Inside your body nitric oxide is produced by endothelial cells that line your blood vessels, and acts as a messenger molecule by telling the blood vessels when to relax and expand. When adequate nitric oxide is produced, it causes an “endothelial relaxing factor,” which is needed by the arterial system to expand and contract with each heartbeat. This helps regulate blood flow and pressure, so that oxygen-carrying blood is delivered to your tissues and organs.9,10 Nitric oxide causes all of the capillaries and little blood vessels to relax and go to their biggest open position. This allows unrestricted blood flow. But if nitric oxide production is impaired, the result is endothelial dysfunction, or the inability of the arterial system to expand and contract. This is a major cause of hypertension and has also been linked to high cholesterol, atherosclerosis, diabetes, blood clots, infection, and heart failure.11 Endothelial cells both produce and respond to nitric oxide in a self
