Browse: Home / IR / Nitric oxide in insulin resistance

Menu

Skip to content
  • About
  • Better Body Chemistry School
  • Book a health conversation
  • Speaking query
  • The “Big” Spoons
Header image

BBC

Small things can make a big difference to your health

advertisement

Menu

Skip to content
  • Home
  • Free Resources
    • 31 days to Better Body Chemistry
    • Willpower Report
    • Weight loss e-course
    • Better Body Chemistry for Expecting Moms
    • The ups and downs of insulin resistance
    • Candy Floss Boards
    • Weight tracker
    • Sound bites
  • Library
  • Shop
  • Lucky dip
  • Buy me a coffee
  • Video gallery
  • Contact

Nitric oxide in insulin resistance

Posted by Dr Sandy on in IR | 667 Views | Leave a response
Share
Pin
Reddit
Tweet
WhatsApp
Share
More

Share Button

Click to listen to the audio…

When you’re insulin resistant, that is, you’ve got  metabolic syndrome, pretty much every chemical in the body is NOT QUITE RIGHT.  Some are up.  Some are down.  Few are actually at physiologically NORMAL levels.

Traditionally the focus is on the big guns.

  • Sugar
  • Insulin
  • And cholesterol

In this series, we  take a look at some of the other players.

Who they are, what they’re up to and how they’re part of the state of insulin resistance.

We feature the endothelial nitric oxide system 

In someone who is insulin resistant, there is a chronic shortage of nitric oxide inside the blood vessels.

Now, nitric oxide is a colourless gas, made from an oxygen and nitrogen molecule, joined together. It’s produced by nearly every cell type.

A gasotransmitter

It’s super power is it’s small and nimble, but it’s NOT very stable, it only lasts a few seconds, but that’s long enough to do some important chemistry, both inside the cell that made is, as well as, the cells in the neighbourhood.

The nitric oxide that is AWOL, is the nitric oxide produced by endothelial cells, these are the cells that line blood vessels, big ones and little ones.  The endothelial cells produce nitric oxide, with the help of an enzyme, known as endothelial nitric oxide synthetase, or eNOS for short.

Vasodilation

This nitric oxide signals to the muscle cells, surrounding the blood vessels, to RELAX.

This process of relaxing, is called vasodilation,

it allows blood to flow through effortlessly and this facilitates deliveries.

When the nitric oxide is “missing”, the blood vessels are taut, because vasoconstriction is occurring.  This makes it hard for insulin to make deliveries.  And when sugar isn’t delivered – sugar levels spike, causing all sorts of NEW TROUBLES.

So why is the nitric oxide NOT THERE ? 

Well, on paper, it should be…..

Insulin’s job, is to put away the groceries. And grocery deliveries, need to made to every nook and cranny, within the body. But getting to every nook and cranny, takes a bit of co-ordination – insulin makes the arrangements.

insulin making deliveries

You see, when the body is just “chilling”, resources are not wasted, delivering huge volumes of blood, to every nook and cranny, it is not necessary.   

The cells have all the resources they need to be happy.

But, when it’s time to deliver the groceries, the story changes. At this point in time, all the vessels NEED to be open.

A little help from a friend

To get these vessels open,  insulin enlists the help of eNOS.

insulin getting eNOS to open the blood vessels

eNOS is always sitting on the surface of the cells that line the blood vessels. He typically, just hangs out, in the caveola, attached to, a very fancy comfy “chair”, called a caveolin-1.

Open sesame

When eNOS,  gets the nod from insulin, via calmodulin. He hops off the scaffold protein, hooks up with a partner, and together they grab electrons from NADPH, passed them to the arginine, to create nitric oxide and L-citrulline.

coupled eNOS biochemistry

The nitric oxide then  diffuses through the membrane to do it’s thing,  at the vascular smooth muscle, it acts on the metal centre of the heme protein, cyclic GMP, causing muscle relaxation.  Some of the  nitric oxide,  also drifts towards the caveolin-1, where it fluffs up the pillow, inviting eNOS, to stop his production of nitric oxide  and relax a little.

A little R&R

eNOS, doesn’t need a second invitation and takes a break.

The status quo returns, until, the next call for a puff of nitric oxide.

Well, this is what should happen. But, when you’re insulin resistant, insulin levels are high – morning, noon and night, and this means that eNOS is firing up nitric oxide production, like a wild thing.

eNOS the wild thing

Unfortunately, when eNOS, doesn’t get down time, he get’s a little cranky and CARELESS.

uncoupled eNOS chemistry

The result, instead of pairing up with a friend, he opts to do his chemistry solo.  The electrons from NADPH, don’t always get passed in a carefully controlled manner to arginine, instead they get tossed onto oxygen,  creating peroxynitrite.

Peroxynitrite is a sizziling hot, free radical.

As it bounces around, it creates  waves of destruction, within endothelial cells, leaving them unable to do their job.

Blocks, breaks and bung ups

Follow and deliveries aren’t made.

Now, this causes distress to the organs, they’re servicing.

Cells around the body go “ hungry” – they’re short of oxygen and fuel and the undelivered nutrients become problematic.  Sugar, cholesterol, triglycerides – you name it, all accumulate.  In addition to this, the endothelial cells,  undergo changes to their permeability and structure. And platelets, becoming clutchy.  Etc, etc, etc.

Compounding the problems, further.

At this point, you’re a heart attack waiting to happen

So, if you’re insulin resistant, you want to boost nitric oxide availability. There are quite a few ways to do this….

A welcome vacation

The first thing to work on, is the BAD BODY CHEMISTRY, upsetting eNOS. You can give eNOS, some much needed R&R, by reining in insulin levels. For tips and strategies, on how to do this, download our willpower report, it’s free.

In addition to this, you can  put your eNOS, on a training schedule.

eNOS in training

It turns out, endothelaial cells produce nitric oxide, in response to stimulation by shear stress. And shear stress happens, anytime you get the blood moving.

A vigorous bout of exercise, is a great way to charge up your nitric oxide battery.

heart charging the nitric oxide battery

If vigorous exercise is out of the question, there are alternative options, that will give you some of these benefits. One of the easiest and safest is remote ischemic pre-conditioning.  Click here, to learn more.

Ditch eNOS

You can also, generate nitric oxide, by exploiting an alternative nitric oxide  generating systems, the so-called nitrate-nitrite-nitric oxide pathway.

nitrate nitrite nitric oxide pathway

This system can be triggered by diet and lifestyle.

One unexpected lifestyle factor, which influences this pathway, is whether you use mouth wash.  Click here, to read why, you might want to ditch that mouth wash, if you’re insulin resistant.

Being in the NO, will help your create BETTER BODY CHEMISTRY and better health.

Nitric oxide  is just one of hundreds of chemicals in the body that are amiss, when you’re suffering from metabolic syndrome, click here, to discover more “players”.

Share Button
Caveolin and Endothelial NO Signaling. Current Topics in Membranes (2018) 82:257-279. Suellen D.S. Oliveira, Richard D. Minshall.

Vascular nitric oxide: Beyond eNOS.  Journal of Pharmacological Sciences 129 (2015) 83e94. Yingzi Zhao, Paul M. Vanhoutte, Susan W.S. Leung

Regulation of obesity and insulin resistance by nitric oxide. Free Radic Biol Med. (2014) 73:383-99. Brian E.  Sansbury and Bradford G. Hill

Metabolic Effects of Dietary Nitrate in Health and Disease. Cell Metab (2018) 28(1):9-22. Jon O Lundberg, Mattias Carlström, Eddie Weitzberg.

Further reading

nitric oxide making an insulin delivery

How to get those glucose gates up – so you take up more sugar

When you’re insulin resistant, sugar can’t leave the blood, because the glucose gates, normally used by the sugar molecules, are missing. Gate moving needs…

HISS ing that insulin is coming

Want to overcome insulin resistance ? Roll out the welcome mat

When skeletal muscles, know insulin is coming, they move their GLUT4 gates from the periphery to front and centre, with the gates in place, glucose gets in.

exercise charging up the nitric oxide heart battery

How to juice up the heart battery so it pumps in a crisis

When a heart attack strikes, the nitric oxide battery is the key to calming the panic and getting oxygen to the tissue minimizing damage. To charge your battery – move.

 

Want to discover more ways to create BETTER BODY CHEMISTRY ?

Share
Pin
Reddit
Tweet
WhatsApp
Share
More
Posted in IR | Tagged blood vessels, cardiovascular disease, caveolae, endothelial nitric oxide synthetase, eNOS, insulin, nitric oxide, perioxynitrite, shear stress, vascular smooth muscles, vasodilation

Connect with us

facebook you tube pinterest 40 google plus 40 Linkedin

FEELING….

sign posts then you need better body chemistry.

Grab our free E-course

“31 days to better body chemistry”

The advice is simple to follow and based on REAL science, not hype

Need more information ? Click here

  • Popular
  • Featured
  • Recent
  • asprosin the sugar plum fairy

    Why sugar levels are high despite NOT eating

    20757 views / Posted
  • poop getting stuck

    The fix for constipation is to go on a low fibre diet

    19916 views / Posted
  • oatmeal breakfast being beaten by egg

    Which is a better breakfast, egg or oatmeal ?

    19190 views / Posted
  • chewing gum relieving postoperative ileus

    A stick of chewing gum gets the gut going after surgery

    16757 views / Posted
  • carbonated water bubbles fill you up

    Fizzing up the water flattens your appetite

    15600 views / Posted
  • sun extracting cholesterol

    Make sure you have your “annual” check-up in the summer time

    / Dr Sandy
  • sending your kid to bootcamp won't stop childhood obesity

    Moving more won’t stop your kid from getting fat

    / Dr Sandy
  • cholesterol at the scene of the accident

    Bone cells are stiffening up your arteries not cholesterol

    / Dr Sandy
  • brain size the problem in ADHD

    Are kids with ADHD just acting according to their brain age

    / Dr Sandy
  • plastering the blood vessel with calcium

    Calcium supplements are building bones and breaking hearts

    / Dr Sandy
  • nose feeling blocked

    A simple “cure” for chronic sinusitis

    / Dr Sandy
  • triglyceride sweeping up sugar

    Dietary fat and carbs DO MIX in a “good” way

    / Dr Sandy
  • what would batman eat

    Batman can rescue your child from poor food choices

    / Dr Sandy
  • grape shooting fat at a man eating grapes on the couch

    The inconvenient truth about eating more fruit to be healthy

    / Dr Sandy
  • beta cell asking for a dopamine hit

    The dopamine hit your beta cells need to function at their best

    / Dr Sandy

RSS Recent posts

Dr Sandy Dr Sandy Evans, PhD

Located in Johannesburg, South Africa

Disclaimer : The stories and articles are provided as a service. Dr Sandy's opinions are for information only, and are not intended to diagnose or prescribe. For your specific diagnosis and treatment, consult your doctor or health care provider.
 

Book an appointment

Calendar icon
 

Connect with Dr Sandy

facebook 40
you tube 40
pinterest 40
linkedin 40
 

Categories

Featured posts

  • asprosin the sugar plum fairy

    Why sugar levels are high despite NOT eating

    20757 views / Posted
  • poop getting stuck

    The fix for constipation is to go on a low fibre diet

    19916 views / Posted
  • oatmeal breakfast being beaten by egg

    Which is a better breakfast, egg or oatmeal ?

    19190 views / Posted
 

©2011-2022 Spoonful of Science

Menu

  • Meet Dr Sandy
  • Disclosure/disclaimer
  • Privacy policy
  • Comment policy
  • Contact
Share
Pin
Reddit
Tweet
WhatsApp