Nitric Oxide and Aging: A Smarter Way to Boost It Naturally
As the years go by, many people notice that their body just doesn’t function as smoothly as it once did. This isn’t simply “in your head.” One major factor is the gradual decline of a vital signaling molecule called nitric oxide (NO). Falling nitric oxide levels are linked to issues involving the heart and blood vessels, brain function, muscle performance, and even sexual and reproductive health.
Supplement companies are well aware of this, and many aggressively promote “nitric oxide boosters” that promise to fix the problem with a simple pill. Most of these products are expensive, heavily marketed, and often under-deliver. Fortunately, there is a far better approach: it’s inexpensive, strongly supported by science, and doesn’t depend on the supplement industry.
Before looking at the best strategy, it’s important to understand one key point:
you cannot simply take nitric oxide in pill form. Nitric oxide is an extremely unstable gas; instead of swallowing NO directly, you need to support your body’s own nitric oxide production pathways.
Over the years, a range of options has appeared—from prescription drugs to amino acid powders—each claiming to boost nitric oxide. Many either don’t work well, lose effectiveness over time, or come with drawbacks. Below, we’ll unpack the science behind the most popular approaches and highlight a simple, food-based nitric oxide booster inspired by the work of Dr. Brad Stanfield that actually earns its place on your plate.
Key Takeaways
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Most “NO booster” supplements disappoint: Common ingredients like L-arginine and L-citrulline often fail to meaningfully raise nitric oxide or improve exercise performance in real-world studies.
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Beetroot is promising but imperfect: Beetroot juice can lower blood pressure and improve vascular function, but nitrate levels in supplements vary wildly, and whole beets are very high in oxalates, which can be problematic for some people.
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Arugula (rocket) stands out: Arugula is one of the richest natural sources of dietary nitrate, typically higher than beets, yet low in oxalates, making it a safer and more effective whole-food nitric oxide source.
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Food beats pills: A whole-food, nitrate-rich diet offers a reliable, safe, and affordable way to support nitric oxide production without the inconsistency of supplements or the tolerance issues associated with certain prescription drugs.
1. Why Most Nitric Oxide Supplements Disappoint
Walk into any health food shop or sports nutrition store, and you’ll see shelves full of “nitric oxide boosters.” The star of many of these formulas is L-arginine, an amino acid your body can use in one of its main pathways to produce nitric oxide.
On paper, the logic seems sound:
more L-arginine → more material to make nitric oxide → better blood flow and performance.
However, clinical research doesn’t really support this simple picture:
- Human trials show that L-arginine supplementation can raise L-arginine levels in the blood,
- but this does not consistently translate into higher nitric oxide levels or better exercise performance.
Because of these disappointing results, researchers turned to L-citrulline, another amino acid. Once ingested, your body converts L-citrulline into L-arginine. Surprisingly, taking L-citrulline often increases blood L-arginine levels more effectively than taking L-arginine itself.
That sounds promising—but again, results are underwhelming when it comes to real-world benefits:
- A 2023 study in healthy young adults tested whether L-citrulline would help them exercise longer before exhaustion. The result: no meaningful improvement in time to exhaustion.
- A 2019 meta-analysis did find that L-citrulline can modestly lower blood pressure, but only at high doses of at least 6 grams per day—a level many people find impractical and expensive.
Overall, the evidence suggests that for most people, L-arginine and L-citrulline supplements offer limited benefits relative to cost and effort, especially when compared with more effective food-based strategies.
2. Beetroot Nitrates: Strong Results, Serious Limitations
Attention has recently shifted from amino acids to nitrate-based strategies, which take advantage of a different nitric oxide pathway.
Here’s how the dietary nitrate–nitrite–NO pathway works:
- You eat nitrate-rich foods (for example, certain leafy greens and root vegetables).
- Bacteria in your mouth convert nitrate (NO₃⁻) into nitrite (NO₂⁻).
- As you digest, nitrite is further converted into nitric oxide (NO), helping your blood vessels relax and function better.
Beetroot is naturally high in nitrate, which is why beetroot juice and powders have become popular nitric oxide boosters.
Do beetroot nitrates work?
Clinical trials have produced encouraging results:
- A landmark 2014 trial gave daily beetroot juice to people with high blood pressure.
- Blood pressure dropped by about 8 mmHg, an effect comparable to some prescription medications.
- The study also found improved blood vessel function and reduced arterial stiffness.
- Another study showed that just one week of daily beetroot juice improved exercise endurance in older adults with heart failure.
These findings suggest that dietary nitrates can meaningfully support cardiovascular health and performance.
The problems with beetroot products
Despite the promising data, beetroot is far from a perfect solution:
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Huge variability in nitrate content:
Independent testing by ConsumerLab.com found that beetroot products ranged from about 500 mg of nitrate per serving (strong) to just 4.3 mg (essentially useless). -
Capsules often can’t deliver an effective dose:
To reach the roughly 300 mg of nitrate commonly considered a minimum effective dose for blood pressure effects, you usually need juice or a concentrated powder. Most capsules simply don’t contain enough nitrate per pill. -
High in oxalates:
Whole beets are one of the highest-oxalate foods. High oxalate intake:- Can interfere with absorption of some minerals.
- May contribute to kidney stone formation in susceptible individuals.
So while beetroot juice can be effective in the right dose and form, the inconsistency of commercial products and the oxalate load make it a less-than-ideal long-term nitric oxide strategy for many people.
3. The Tadalafil Trend: Impressive Numbers, Weak Evidence
Another option that has generated excitement is the use of tadalafil, the active ingredient in the erectile dysfunction drug Cialis, as a potential nitric oxide “hack.”
Tadalafil doesn’t add more nitric oxide to the system. Instead, it amplifies the signal that nitric oxide already sends.
Here’s how:
- Nitric oxide prompts cells in your blood vessels to produce a messenger molecule called cGMP.
- cGMP tells blood vessels to relax and widen, improving blood flow.
- An enzyme called PDE5 rapidly breaks down cGMP, shortening the NO signal.
- Tadalafil blocks PDE5, preventing the breakdown of cGMP and thereby prolonging and strengthening the effect of existing nitric oxide.
The eye-catching data—and the big caveat
Some observational studies have linked tadalafil prescriptions with striking benefits:
- One recent study reported that men prescribed tadalafil had a 34% lower risk of death and a 27% lower risk of heart attack over three years.
However, these findings come with a serious limitation:
- These are observational studies, not randomized controlled trials.
- They are vulnerable to “healthy user bias”:
- Men who seek help for erectile dysfunction, obtain prescriptions, and keep refilling them often have better baseline health, more frequent doctor visits, and are more engaged in their healthcare overall.
- This makes it difficult to prove that tadalafil itself is responsible for the improved outcomes.
Until robust randomized trials are done, using tadalafil as a preventive nitric oxide or heart-health strategy remains speculative. Given the uncertainty and potential side effects, it’s not something that can be confidently recommended purely for nitric oxide support.
4. The Best Natural Nitric Oxide Booster: Arugula (Rocket)
After ruling out underperforming amino acid supplements, inconsistent beetroot products, and unproven drug-based shortcuts, what actually works well?
The answer is a nitrate-rich whole food that checks all the right boxes:
- Naturally high in dietary nitrate
- Very low in oxalates
- Inexpensive, widely available, and easy to eat regularly
That food is arugula, also known as rocket.
Why arugula beats beetroot for nitric oxide
Arugula is one of the highest nitrate-containing vegetables ever measured—often outperforming beets on a gram-for-gram basis.
- One analysis found that arugula contains roughly 4,800 mg of nitrate per kilogram.
- That means a generous 100-gram (3.5 oz) serving of arugula can deliver around 480–500 mg of nitrate—enough to hit or exceed the commonly studied effective range.
Unlike beets, arugula is:
- Low in oxalates, making it friendlier for people concerned about kidney stones or mineral absorption.
- Easy to incorporate as a raw salad base, tossed into sandwiches, or blended into smoothies and pesto.
An evidence-based, food-first nitric oxide strategy
An arugula-rich meal offers:
- A potent nitrate dose to feed the nitrate–nitrite–NO pathway.
- The safety and synergy of a whole-food matrix, including fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients.
- A low-cost, low-risk alternative to expensive and inconsistent supplements.
In practical terms, a large daily arugula salad can act as a natural nitric oxide booster, supporting vascular health, blood pressure, and performance—without relying on pills, powders, or speculative drugs.
Focusing on nitrate-rich greens like arugula, rather than on isolated supplements or quick fixes, offers a simple, science-backed way to support nitric oxide production and healthy aging through everyday food choices.
