About 75 percent of men who suffer from cardiovascular disease also suffer from erectile dysfunction (ED). The two share one major underlying factor – impaired blood circulation. Your heart will not receive an adequate supply of blood if the blood vessels leading to it are damaged. The same goes with your penis; if penile blood vessels are impaired, you will have erection problems.
This is where L-arginine, one of the main ingredients of male enhancement supplements, comes in. L-arginine is a precursor of nitric oxide, which is known in the male enhancement arena as the key to boost erection quality. Nitric oxide, or simply NO, is a nitrogen atom attached to an oxygen atom. It is a soluble, highly reactive gas produced by certain animal and plant cells, combustion, and natural chemical reactions in the atmosphere.
Science magazine proclaimed NO as “Molecule of the Year” in 1992. The discovery of nitric oxide’s role as a signaling molecule in the cardiovascular system earned the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize in Medicine – and also helped revolutionize the male enhancement supplement industry.
Nitric oxide helps support cardiovascular health as it has been shown to enhance blood flow by signaling the smooth muscle cells in your blood vessels to relax, allowing your blood vessels to dilate so your blood can circulate more freely. It also helps you maintain optimal blood pressure.
Prescription ED drugs helps you achieve an erection by increasing nitric oxide production using powerful chemicals. However, the price you might pay for regularly using ED drugs to get better erections is a slew of potentially dangerous side effects, including heart disease, stroke, and vision problems. But you don’t need to expose yourself to these risks because you can take natural male enhancement supplements that contain L-arginine in order to boost your nitric oxide levels.
L-arginine is the only known nutritional substrate in your blood vessel lining available to endothelial cells for nitric oxide production. Bulgarian researchers found that using L-arginine along with pycnogenol or maritime pine bark extract, which is also used in male enhancement supplements, helped men suffering from ED to improve their sexual function.
A study published in the journal European Urology suggests that six grams of L-arginine combined with six mg of yohimbine can help successfully potentially treat men with ED. Yohimbe also helps boost blood circulation by relaxing blood vessels but it has been associated with several side effects, which is why many manufacturers of male enhancement supplements no longer use it as an ingredient. Check out Men’s Health Institute’s male enhancement product reviews for a quick look at the ingredients of some of the best male enhancement products available in the market today.
