nitric oxide
6 interactions related to nitric oxide
beetroot + vardenafil
Vardenafil blocks PDE5 and prolongs nitric oxide signaling. Beetroot is a major dietary source of nitrate that the body converts to nitric oxide, so concentrated beetroot products can add to vardenafil's blood pressure lowering effect.
beetroot + nitroglycerin
Nitroglycerin works by releasing nitric oxide to widen blood vessels and relieve angina. Beetroot is a concentrated dietary source of inorganic nitrate, which the body also converts to nitric oxide. Combining concentrated beetroot products with nitroglycerin is mechanistically likely to add to nitroglycerin's blood-pressure-lowering and dizziness, although no clinical cases of this specific pairing have been documented. Whole-food beet portions are not a meaningful concern.
citrulline + arginine
Citrulline and arginine are both precursors to nitric oxide, the molecule that relaxes blood vessels and improves blood flow to working muscle. Each has a different limitation, and taking them together addresses both at once.
dark chocolate + blood pressure medications
Cocoa flavanols in dark chocolate boost nitric-oxide-dependent vasodilation and modestly lower blood pressure. On top of antihypertensive medication the effect is additive and usually helpful, but in sensitive people it can occasionally nudge readings low enough to cause light-headedness.
beetroot + sildenafil
Beetroot is rich in dietary inorganic nitrate, which the body converts to nitric oxide, the same blood-vessel-relaxing pathway that sildenafil (a PDE5 inhibitor) amplifies. The formal contraindication on sildenafil is for organic nitrate drugs, not food, but concentrated beetroot juice and nitrate supplements can lower blood pressure enough that combining them with sildenafil may add to its blood-pressure-lowering effect. This is a mechanism-based caution rather than a documented danger.
beetroot + tadalafil
Beetroot's dietary nitrate is converted in the body to nitric oxide, which relaxes blood vessels and modestly lowers blood pressure. Tadalafil is a long-acting PDE5 inhibitor that prolongs the same nitric-oxide signal. Concentrated beetroot products taken alongside tadalafil can add to its blood-pressure-lowering effect. Whole-food amounts of beets are generally not a concern.