High risks of Cerebrovascular Disease
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), stroke and other cerebrovascular diseases are the Top 10 causes of death in worldwide. “Cardiovascular diseases kill more people each year–in high, middle-and low-income countries alike–than any others. In 2002, 7.2 million people died of coronary heart disease, 5.5 million from stroke or another form of cerebrovascular disease.”, says WHO.
Cerebrovascular Disease (CVD)
So, what is this cerebrovascular disease that is killing millions worldwide?
Cerebrovascular refers to the blood vessels (arteries) that supply blood to the brain, and cerebrovascular disease, in simple terms, refers to an abnormality of the brain due to a disruption in this blood supply in some way.
This causes the brain cells to be deprived of oxygen as the blood is responsible for carrying oxygen to all of our body cells. The brain cells will then die or be damaged under this condition.
The most common type of cerebrovascular disease is stroke, also known as cerebrovascular accident.
Stroke is caused by either a clogged blood vessel in the brain, or when the blood vessel in the brain bursts or leaks. Other CVD include: transient ischemic attack (TIA), multi-infarct (arteriosclerotic) dementia
and reversible ischemic neurologic deficit (RIND).
What can Nitric Oxide do?
Nitroglycerin and related vasodilating compounds increase the diameter of a blood vessel, and were found to act to release nitric oxide, an endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF). Endothelium cells are cells that line the blood vessels and prevents the interaction of blood cells with the vessel walls.
Nitric Oxide is a small gaseous, signaling molecule in the cardiovascular system produced by healthy endothelial cells. Signaling molecules have the function of producing another substance, the second messenger. The second messenger transmit messages along signal pathways between cells.
When NO enters a cell, it activates an enzyme called guanylate cyclase,
which produces the second messenger, cyclic GMP. This second messenger relaxes and dilates the blood vessels.
So how do nitric oxide prevent strokes and cerebrovascular diseases?
Nitric oxide lowers blood pressure, a high risk factor for both stroke and heart attack.
By relaxing and dilating the blood vessels, it promotes healthy blood circulation to the brain and heart.
It also causes coronary arteries to widen to increase blood flow to the heart.
Other roles of NO includes keeping arteries flexible, reverses arterial plaque and suppresses atherosclerosis.
By preventing platelets and white blood cells from sticking to the vessel wall, NO can prevent atherosclerosis.
Atherosclerosis is the accumulation of deposits of fatty wax like materials, cholesterol, calcium, waste products,
and other substances along the insides of the arteries.
In addition, nitric oxide can reduce the production of free radicals, which causes blood vessels to age rapidly, and
suppress abnormal growth of vascular muscle cells to prevent blood vessels from thickening.
Sources of Nitric Oxide
L-Arginine is a semi-essential amino acid that stimulates the growth of nitric
oxide within blood vessels.
A semi-essential amino acid is one that can be produced by our body, or obtained from our diet.
Usually, a healthy person will have sufficient L-Arginine to produce the required amount of nitric oxide.
Studies have shown that dietary supplements of L-Arginine will have little effect on people with healthy endothelium cells.
However, individuals with unhealthy endothelium cells are at risk of heart disease as their body
cannot produce enough nitric oxide on their own. This is due to the presence of asymmetric dimethylarginine, a modified amino
acid, that stops the production of nitric oxide. In such conditions, the human body requires dietary supplement to increase L-Arginine amounts. This will allows more NO to be produced naturally.
“… inappropriate coronary responses to sympathetic stimulation in people with coronary artery disease may be related to changes in the arginine-nitric oxide pathway and may be improved by increasing production of nitric oxide”, says Joel Cellman, M.D., of Johns Hopkins University.
Therefore, by consuming dietary supplements of L-Arginine, the risk of getting coronary heart diseases and CVD can be reduced.
Alvin Ng writes articles on several health topics for Health Session, ranging from nutrition to diseases to body systems, and invites you to read more of these articles at http://www.healthsession.com.
There is no other way to improve your health than to understand what your body needs. Learn with us as new discoveries and researches provide a greater knowledge to better health. Read the original article at Nitric Oxide Supplement, your remedy to Cerebrovascular Disease.
