We need proper blood flow for cardiovascular health and athletics. Most importantly we need it for maximum bedroom performance. But it's all dependent on our endothelium, that delicate lining of our arteries that pumps out nitric oxide. Unfortunately, the endothelium is under attack by our lifestyle. Damage begins accumulating from a very young age due to inflammation, oxidation, skewed lipid profiles and toxins, like smoking.
Most of us think of our arteries as a hose. However, this is actually a poor analogy, because our arteries can expand (dilate) and contract/constrict. When dilated, the arteries literally become wider and blood flow is increased. This also drops blood pressure, because there is more volume actually for your heart to pump the blood.
WHAT CONTROLS ENDOTHELIAL FUNCTION?
There are three primary chemicals that can dilate/constrict your arteries:
NITRIC OXIDE
Just about every male knows about this heavy hitter. Nitric oxide is what is increased (through action on an enzyme called NOS) by PDE5 Inhibitors such as Viagra and Cialis.
ACETYLCHOLINE
This is a less powerful, but nonetheless significant vasodilator. Interestingly enough, it is used in research labs to measure endothelial function.
NORADRENALINE (Norepinephrine)
This stress hormone will put the brakes on artery expansion and your erections. Some noradrenaline is actually a good thing and keeps you from destroying your penile tissues due to priapism, an erection that persists for hours.
THESE DELINE WITH AGE
These three are natural accelerators/decelerators of blood flow and endothelial function. So what don't they work in your middle-aged and senior years? Why do so many 35+ men struggle with endothelial issues?
OUR LIFESTYLE ATTACKS THE ENDOTHELIUM
Every step in this process is hard on the delicate lining of the arteries, especially the inflammation, oxidation. and plaque-raising stages. All of these will tend to lower nitric oxide over time and decrease the flexibility of arteries to dilate.
Accelerating the process is the increased blood pressure that results from a decrease in nitric oxide and narrowing arteries due to arteriosclerosis.
