Nitric Oxide Foods: How Your Diet Supports Healthy Circulation

Key takeaways

• Your body naturally produces nitric oxide. This molecule helps blood vessels relax and supports healthy circulation, one aspect of overall cardiovascular wellness.

• Nitric oxide is produced through two main pathways: one uses the amino acid L-arginine, while the other converts dietary nitrates from foods such as leafy greens and beets.

• Leafy greens are rich in naturally occurring nitrates, which the body can use to make nitric oxide. Arugula, spinach, lettuce, and Swiss chard are especially good sources.

• Cocoa flavanols, including epicatechin, may support pathways involved in nitric oxide production and availability.

• Human research suggests dietary nitrates and related compounds may support healthy circulation, although results vary and some of the research is still limited.

Healthy blood flow partly depends on nitric oxide signaling, which helps blood vessels relax and expand. While the body produces nitric oxide naturally, certain foods can also provide compounds involved in its production.

Leafy greens and beets, for example, are naturally rich in nitrates. These nitrates can eventually be used by the body to produce nitric oxide.

In this guide, we'll look at nitric oxide foods such as arugula, spinach, and beets and what the research says about their connection to nitric oxide production.

What nitric oxide does in the body

Nitric oxide is naturally produced in the body and serves as a signaling molecule, meaning it helps cells communicate with one another. It plays a role in several normal functions, including:

• Healthy circulation: Nitric oxide helps blood vessels relax and widen, allowing blood to flow more easily.

• Cell communication: Nerve cells use nitric oxide to communicate with one another.

• Normal immune function: Nitric oxide also participates in communication between immune cells.

How nitric oxide production works

The body produces nitric oxide through two main pathways. Food can contribute to both, although in different ways:

• L-arginine pathway: Uses L-arginine, an amino acid that comes from protein-containing foods and can also be produced by the body. An enzyme called nitric oxide synthase converts L-arginine into nitric oxide, including in the cells lining blood vessels.

• Nitrate pathway: Begins with nitrates found naturally in vegetables. After nitrate is absorbed, some of it returns to the mouth through the salivary glands. Oral bacteria help turn nitrate into nitrite, which the body can later use to make nitric oxide.

Which foods contain the most nitrates?

Some vegetables naturally contain much more nitrate than others.

Leafy greens

Arugula is one of the richest vegetable sources of dietary nitrates. Germany's Federal Institute for Risk Assessment measured arugula (also known as rocket) at an average of roughly 4,700 mg of nitrate per kilogram.

Spinach, lettuce, and Swiss chard are also good sources. The exact amount can vary depending on factors such as growing conditions and season.

Beets

Beets are another well-known source of dietary nitrates. One analysis measured raw beetroot at about 90 mg of nitrate per 100 g, although nitrate levels can vary depending on growing conditions and preparation.

Other foods that may support nitric oxide production

Nitrate-rich vegetables aren't the only foods connected to nitric oxide. Other foods contain compounds that may support nitric oxide production or availability through different mechanisms.

Watermelon

Watermelon naturally contains L-citrulline, an amino acid involved in nitric oxide production. The body can convert L-citrulline into L-arginine, which is then used to make nitric oxide. This gives watermelon a clear connection to the L-arginine pathway, although research on eating watermelon for nitric-oxide-related effects remains limited.

Cocoa and dark chocolate

Cocoa contains flavanols such as epicatechin that may support nitric oxide activity. In a small human study, flavanol-rich cocoa was associated with changes in blood vessel function linked to nitric oxide.

For a closer look at epicatechin and cocoa flavanols, see our guide to flavonoids and nitric oxide.

Pomegranate

In laboratory research, pomegranate juice helped maintain nitric oxide availability by limiting its oxidative breakdown. While this mechanism has only been studied in laboratory settings, it provides one reason pomegranate is being explored in nitric oxide research.

Citrus fruits

Citrus fruits provide vitamin C, a nutrient involved in maintaining nitric oxide availability. Research on vitamin C supplementation has found associations with measures of healthy blood vessel function, offering some context for how vitamin C may relate to nitric oxide activity.

Garlic

Garlic contains compounds that may interact with pathways involved in nitric oxide production. Laboratory research has explored these effects, providing early evidence for garlic's connection to nitric oxide activity.

Nitric oxide foods at a glance

Here's a quick comparison of several foods and compounds connected to nitric oxide production.

What research tells us about nitric oxide and everyday wellness

Human research on dietary nitrate has explored several areas of everyday wellness. Findings vary depending on the amount consumed, study duration, and population being studied.

Healthy circulation

A meta-analysis of 75 randomized trials involving 1,823 participants found small changes in blood pressure and blood vessel function associated with dietary nitrate.

Physical activity

Studies have also explored dietary nitrate in the context of physical activity and general wellness. Staying active involves more than any single food or nutrient, with nutrition, sleep, hydration, and gut health all playing a role. Our guide takes a closer look at gut health and exercise.

Brain function

Researchers have also explored dietary nitrate and blood flow in the brain. In a small study of 40 healthy adults, beetroot juice was associated with changes in brain blood flow and differences in one of three cognitive tasks. The other two tasks showed no difference, so more research is needed.

For broader context on cardiovascular health and wellness in the U.S., see the latest heart health numbers.

Bringing nitric oxide foods into your routine

You don't need a complicated approach to include more nitric oxide foods in your diet. Green leafy vegetables such as arugula and spinach, beets, citrus fruits, watermelon, and cocoa are all easy options to include in your meals. The research varies by food, so variety makes more sense than relying on any single option.

If you want a consistent daily amount of a specific compound, InfiniWell's Epicatechin is formulated around a cocoa flavanol that may support pathways involved in nitric oxide production and availability. When you take epicatechin is generally less important than following the product's suggested use and using it consistently as part of your wellness routine.

The rest of our cardio metabolic supplements work differently. Cardio Prime+, for example, is built on a separate ingredient set and is intended for general everyday wellness support.

Whole foods are the place to start, and no supplement replaces a produce habit. The research above looks at foods rather than supplements, so read it as background rather than as a guide to any one product.

Individual results can vary, so talk with a qualified healthcare professional before adding any new supplement to your wellness routine.