What is nitric oxide and what does it do?

Nitric oxide is produced naturally by the cells lining your blood vessels. Its job is simple but important; it signals your blood vessels to relax and widen, allowing blood to flow more freely around the body.

Better blood flow means more oxygen and nutrients reaching your muscles, organs and brain. It supports healthy blood pressure, takes some of the strain off your heart and plays a role in energy, immune function and even how clearly you think.

For something so fundamental, most people have never heard of it.

Why does nitric oxide decline with age?

Nitric oxide production begins declining gradually from our 30s and accelerates after 40. By the time most people reach their 50s, production has dropped by around 50 percent compared to their 20s.

The main reason is that the enzyme your body uses to make nitric oxide becomes less active as you get older. On top of that, oxidative stress increases with age, which further reduces the body's ability to produce and maintain healthy levels.

Lifestyle plays a role too. A diet low in vegetables, not enough movement, poor sleep and chronic stress all make the decline happen faster.

What happens when nitric oxide levels drop?

When nitric oxide declines, blood vessels become less flexible and circulation becomes less efficient. This is associated with arterial stiffness, elevated blood pressure, reduced stamina and slower recovery after physical activity.

Over time, lower nitric oxide levels are linked to blood vessels becoming stiffer and less responsive, which is one of the key drivers of cardiovascular ageing. The cells lining your blood vessels need nitric oxide to stay healthy, flexible and able to regulate blood flow properly.

For people over 40, keeping nitric oxide levels supported is one of the more practical and underappreciated things you can do for your heart and circulation.

What are dietary nitrates and how do they help?

Dietary nitrates are compounds found naturally in vegetables, especially leafy greens and root vegetables like beetroot. When you eat them, your body converts those nitrates into nitric oxide through a natural process that starts in your mouth and continues in your digestive system.

This is part of why vegetable-rich diets are so consistently linked to better heart health. Your body is essentially using food as a raw material to make more of what it needs.

For people who want to support their levels more consistently, a concentrated source of dietary nitrates makes the process reliable without having to overhaul your diet.

Why is beetroot one of the best natural sources of dietary nitrates?

Beetroot is one of the most concentrated natural sources of dietary nitrates available. A single serving of beetroot juice provides more nitrates than most people consume in an entire day through their regular diet.

Research into beetroot and nitric oxide production has grown substantially over the past decade, with studies showing benefits for blood pressure, exercise performance, stamina and endothelial function.

The advantage of beetroot in concentrated powder or juice form is consistency. Getting meaningful amounts of dietary nitrates from whole food alone requires a reliably high vegetable intake that most people do not maintain day to day. A daily dose of concentrated beetroot powder removes that variability.

Are there different ways the body produces nitric oxide?

Yes, and this is where it gets interesting.

The first way is through diet. Nitrates from food are broken down by bacteria in your mouth, then converted into nitric oxide further along in your digestive system. This is why chewing your food properly and not immediately rinsing your mouth after eating can actually matter for nitric oxide production.

The second way is through a different biochemical route involving an amino acid called L-citrulline, which the body uses to make another amino acid that feeds into nitric oxide production. This pathway works independently of diet.

Because both routes decline with age and respond to different inputs, supporting both at once is more effective than focusing on just one.

How to support your nitric oxide levels daily

For most people over 40, the most practical starting point is increasing dietary nitrate intake consistently. This means more leafy greens and beetroot in the diet, or a concentrated beetroot supplement that removes the guesswork.

For those wanting more targeted support, a formula that addresses both production pathways offers a more comprehensive approach.

NITRO is our most advanced nitric oxide formula. It combines high-nitrate beetroot juice powder and with L-citrulline malate and cordyceps extract, supporting both nitric oxide production routes in one daily serve.

One practical note: mix it with water and swish it around your mouth before swallowing. This is not a gimmick. It gives the bacteria in your mouth the chance to start the conversion process, which is how the dietary nitrate pathway actually works.

One serve a day. Easy to add to your routine.

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