NITRIC OXIDE: THE END OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE
In February of 1964 President Lyndon B. Johnson designated February as American Heart Month. President Johnson urged “the people of the United States to give heed to the nationwide problem of the heart and blood-vessel diseases, and to support the programs required to bring about its solution.” This year marks 60 years since that designation. In 2022, the National Institutes of Health funded more than $2.7 billion in research focused on cardiovascular disease. Despite 60 years of focus and attention, hundreds of billions of dollars in research and funding, cardiovascular disease remains the NUMBER ONE KILLER of men and women in the U.S. and around the world.
Awareness is not the issue
Cardiovascular Disease accounts for 1 in every 4 deaths in America. Every year, in the U.S., 610,000 people die of heart related disease. Every 42 seconds someone has a heart attack and each minute someone dies from a heart disease related event. The amount of people dying from cardiovascular disease is equivalent to 4 jumbo jets crashing and killing everyone on board every single hour of every single day each year. That should be the headline every February and the leading news story. Today we have more people dying from heart attack and stroke than ever before in the history of the world. Awareness is not the issue. Funding doesn’t seem to be the issue. The question remains why is cardiovascular disease still the major killer? The answer is a focus on the wrong target and a complete lack of implementation of new discoveries into clinical practice.
Cardiovascular disease and mortality are increasing in working-age adults. There is also a disparity among African Americans. Black adults are among those bearing the highest burden of cardiovascular disease and the related health consequences, particularly in the United States. Black adults in the United States die from heart disease at a rate two times higher than White adults. Perhaps, not coincidentally, February is also Black History Month.
These statistics are simple unacceptable. We know what causes cardiovascular disease, the lack of nitric oxide which leads to uncontrolled vascular inflammation, plaque instability and rupture. We also recognize that cholesterol does not cause heart attacks. We certainly know how to diagnose cardiovascular disease and recognize the symptoms associated with it. We also know how to prevent the loss of nitric oxide, ameliorate symptoms and prevent the onset and progression of cardiovascular disease and even reverse heart disease.
Recognize the symptoms
There is a known progression of cardiovascular disease. We must recognize the symptoms that lead to cardiovascular disease and heart attack and stroke.
- There is a loss of regulation of blood flow. This will manifest as erectile dysfunction. If you cannot dilate the blood vessels of the sex organs to allow for blood engorgement, then you have loss of regulation of blood flow due to loss of nitric oxide production. Sexual dysfunction is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. More than half the people over the age of 40 report sexual dysfunction.
- The other sign and symptom is an increase in blood pressure caused by the loss of elasticity of the blood vessels due to plaque being deposit underneath the lining of the blood vessels. Two thirds of Americans have an unsafe increase in blood pressure.
- Blood vessels become inflamed and white blood cells start to stick to the lining of the blood vessels causing oxidative stress and immune dysfunction. Blood labs become abnormal showing an increase in oxidized lipoproteins, increase in urinary isoprostanes, increase in high sensitivity C-reactive protein, increase in ferritin and an increase in sedimentation rates.
- Blood cells called platelets become activated and any plaque that may be formed in the blood vessels is at risk of rupturing and causes an occlusion or disruption of blood supply in that area. Nitric oxide is what keeps platelets from becoming activated and clotting. If we lose nitric oxide, our blood is at greater risk of clotting.
This entire process can be accelerated or even inhibited based on our diet and lifestyle. We know from autopsies of young people that fatty streaks and plaque is already forming in the early 20s. This means that they starting losing the production of nitric oxide even years earlier. Every primary care doctor or cardiologist will recognize that every patient with underlying cardiovascular disease has those verifiable conditions and, in most cases, prescribe drugs that are targeted towards those observations and labs. What doctors fail to recognize is that nitric oxide can correct and improve every single step in the progress of cardiovascular disease, heart attack and stroke. Nitric oxide dilates blood vessels, improves vascular compliance, normalizes blood pressure. Nitric oxide improves sexual function and improves circulation through all vascular beds. Nitric oxide reduces inflammation, oxidative stress and immune dysfunction. Nitric oxide prevents platelets and immune cells from sticking to the lining of the blood vessels. Nitric oxide is the “Holy Grail” for cardiovascular disease. The science is clear. We now just need more physicians and the major medical associations to start communicating this to other physicians and to their patients, and especially in the African American population.
Take control of your own health
The good news is that you do not have to wait for your physician to implement this. You can actually take control of your own health. Start improving your nitric oxide production today. There are a few simple steps:
- If you use mouthwash or fluoride toothpaste, you must stop. Mouthwash and fluoride kill essential bacteria in the mouth responsible for production of nitric oxide.
- If you use antacids, you must stop. Antacids shut down nitric oxide production and increase your risk of heart attack and stroke by 40%.
- Eat more green leafy vegetables and less processed food.
- Get at least 20-30 minutes of physical activity per day.
- Take a product that produces nitric oxide.
These simple steps will have a profound impact on your personal health. I have found that there are two basic groups of people that need nitric oxide:
- Those who are healthy and do not want to develop symptoms or disease
- Those who have established symptoms or who have been diagnosed with CVD
Nitric oxide is a gas
If you know someone in one of those categories, they need nitric oxide. However, you must be selective to fall for products can do not and cannot produce nitric oxide. Most nitric oxide supplements do not work nor do anything to improve nitric oxide. Companies that sell such products are causing much more harm than providing benefit. You cannot get nitric oxide in a gummy, chew or capsule. Nitric oxide is a gas and we know how to produce nitric oxide gas. Take action today. Do not become a statistic. Ask your doctor to focus on your nitric oxide production and less emphasis on controlling your cholesterol. Then, and only then, will we able to put an end to cardiovascular disease.
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Dr. Nathan S. Bryan is a biochemist and physiologist that has more than 20 years of basic science and clinical research. His many seminal discoveries have resulted in dozens of issued U.S. and International patents. He is an international expert in nitric oxide and molecular medicine. Dr. Bryan is an innovator and successful entrepreneur who product technology is responsible for hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue worldwide. This content is not intended to replace medical advice from a physician.