I kid you not! We have the power! Well, at least the power to improve our cardiovascular fitness. This power is within every human being and it comes from a part of our bodies that we rarely, if ever, think about — the lining of our blood vessels! This lining is called the endothelium and within it there are these little squirt guns that provide a chemical
that widens arteries and increases blood flow (aka a vasodilator). As you may already know, more blood flow means more tissues are getting the nutrients that they need to function at top performance levels. It also helps keep the surface of our vascular network smoother. What is this wonder chemical that makes us our own walking-talking-no lines pharmacy? Nitric Oxide. Learn it, love it, nurture it. It’s that important.
What’s the best way to initiate those little squirt guns and get more of Nitric Oxide? Cardiovascular exercise! How? When blood flows across the surface of the endothelium (remember this is the lining inside the blood vessels) during exercise, it causes a sort of friction that signals those little sons-of-a-gun (see what I did there?) to start squirting out extra Nitric Oxide. This opens up the blood vessels to make sure your blood pressure is where it should be during exertion as well as giving all of your other organs more blood and nutrients. Best part? Once you workout, your body continues to release Nitric Oxide way after you’re done exercising for the day — whaaaaat?!? I know, crazy, right?
But, why do I want Nitric Oxide swimming around my blood vessels when I’m not exercising? Good question! Think about that increased blood flow and the important organs that will get that much needed oxygen and nutrients, like your brain and heart, etc. Who doesn’t want clearer thinking and a steady, normal heart rate? Seriously.
Nitric Oxide isn’t the only thing that the endothelium produces in order to keep our cardiovascular system moving along. It also has a group of road worker cells that come out to fix the “roads” called “growth factors” (aka vascular endothelial growth factor or VEGF). Growth factors are really good at filling in the “potholes” that happen inside the blood vessels from normal wear and tear. This is an inflammatory response. When the “potholes” are “patched” they need to be filled in perfectly without rough edges so the blood can flow smoothly. Problems come along when there’s too many inflammatory responses which causes the road crew to be on duty too often. We all know what happens when people are exhausted. Their work starts to lose quality. Rough edges get left behind, clotting blood cells get stuck and start to build up clots. Pair those up with some fat molecules (like cholesterol) that also get stuck on the rough edges and together they form that super villain — plaque. Next thing you know, there are all these horrible bumps in the road and life is not flowing smoothly anymore. In fact, all of these buildups are actually blocking the Nitric Oxide from effectively being released which, on top of things getting snagged, now there’s not enough room and slower circulation.
And, yes, your food choices and lifestyle choices affects all of this. If you have high blood sugar and high body fat (most especially excess abdominal fat), these things trick the endothelium to release chemicals that increase blood clotting and the buildup of plaque. Think of these chemicals as highway robbers, beating up the road crew and hijacking their equipment to cause all kinds of road damage. It’s a mess out there but you’ve gotta do something, I mean you need those roadways open, right? Right. So, what do you do? Don’t give up! Not now! Your body needs a hero and you can be that hero. Eat healthier, eat more vegetables and fruits, lower your processed sugar intake, and get that body moving*. Remember, you got your body into this mess but it can help you get out.
*Please check with your doctor before changing your eating and lifestyle habits, especially exercise.
Hart Health 