Turkey is a good source of L-arginine.

I wrote a couple of books on aging and longevity. I do not have a list with more than two-hundred aging problems in either book. The number ‘203’ (arbitrary number) signifies that there are many causes of problems, especially aging.

As you age, many things don’t function as well as they did when you were younger.
One of the reasons for aging is the declining production of human growth hormone (HGH) our bodies make. We make a lot of HGH when we were very young. After our teen years, our bodies make less and less. When you hit your 60s and 70s, the production of HGH almost slows to nothing. The easiest (maybe not for all) thing to increase HGH is to fast. More on that in the future. I have many blogs, plus two books on that topic.

Aging Problem #203, for lack of a better title, is about cardiovascular risks. This is one of the three main pre-existing conditions that make you a strong candidate to not survive coronavirus. Our bodies make nitric oxide. Nitric oxide has the formula, NO. This should not be confused with nitrous oxide, laughing gas, with a formula of N20. Our bodies make less nitric oxide as we age.

Why is it important? NO signals blood vessels to widen (vasodilate). This allows blood to flow more freely. As nitric oxide levels decline, endothelial (inner lining of the blood vessel) dysfunction increases. We can see the result of this dysfunction in diminished circulation, higher blood pressure, increased risk of clots forming inside the blood vessels and, eventually, atherosclerosis. These results increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Endothelial dysfunction occurs in about one-third of Americans. It can also be caused by diabetes, metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure, smoking, and physical inactivity. Nitric oxide is available as a supplement. However, there is not much benefit to you if it is nitric oxide. The half-life of NO is short and it is metabolized and eliminated from the body before you gain any benefit from taking nitric oxide in pill form.

You can take the precursors of nitric oxide and gain a lot of benefits. NO must be made inside the blood vessels. To do this the amino acid, L-arginine is needed. L-arginine is a semi-essential amino acid. A semi-essential amino acid is one that is not essential (meaning the body cannot make it) under certain conditions but maybe under other conditions.

Our bodies make L-arginine from high-protein foods, such as turkey, pork loin, chicken, pumpkin seeds, soybeans, peanuts, dairy, and lentils. L-arginine relaxes blood vessels and arteries, but also helps to heal injuries, assists the kidneys with waste removal, and boosts the immune system.
Your body can also make L-arginine from L-citrulline.

L-citrulline is converted by the body into L-arginine. L-citrulline is an amino acid not normally found in proteins. Watermelon, onions, garlic, chickpeas, liver, salmon, almonds, walnuts, and dark chocolate are good natural sources of L-citrulline.

A normal healthy diet with balanced nutrition should provide adequate levels of NO to fight off cardiovascular disease. Scientists have studies showing that L-citrulline and L-arginine can help treat erectile dysfunction, muscle soreness after strenuous exercise, lower blood pressure, boost exercise performance, and assist in the management of Type 2 diabetes by increasing insulin sensitivity.

The three primary pre-existing conditions that predispose people to extremely high risk of death when contracting coronavirus are diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease. Age contributes to the body’s decline, but it doesn’t have to be the sole reason for multiple health problems. A nutritionally balanced diet, with exercise, restricted caloric intake, fasting, stress reduction, and toxin removal allows the body to age while lowering the risk of age-related diseases.

Nitric oxide is a tool for your personal health and wellness belt to help in many ways. NO is made in your blood vessels when L-arginine is present. L-arginine can be found in various foods. L-citrulline can be converted by the body into L-arginine. L-citrulline can be found in certain foods. This concludes Aging Problem #203. Standby for future aging problem reports!

Live Longer & Enjoy Life! – Red O’Laughlin

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