How does ENERGYbits® Work for Athletes

November 03 2015, by Catharine Arnston, 2 min reading time

Why does ENERGYbits® make such an improvement on my workouts and performance?

ENERGYbits® are made from 100% naturally grown, NON GMO spirulina algae. Spirulina is a nitrogen based algae which naturally releases nitric oxide in your body. You may be wondering what nitric oxide is and why is it important …so hang on and we’ll tell you. The merits of nitric oxide supplements have only recently come to the attention of the athletic community. What follows is a quick guide to one of the most important molecules known to professional athletes and now you!

What Is Nitric Oxide?

Nitric Oxide is a compound made up of one nitrogen atom and one oxygen atom. In order for the body to create Nitric Oxide, it needs arginine (an amino acid) and a family of enzymes called Nitric Oxide synthase (NOS). When arginine and a NOS enzyme come in contact with each other, the reaction produces Nitric Oxide along with citrulline (another amino acid).

What Does Nitric Oxide Do?

Nitric Oxide travels freely from cell to cell in your body directing and ordering a wide variety of functions within the body. Depending on the situation, Nitric Oxide can act as an intracellular messenger, a hormone, or a neurotransmitter. However, for the purpose of athletes, we’ll focus on the role of Nitric Oxide as an intracellular messenger regulating one of the body’s most important processes – blood flow.

How Does Nitric Oxide Work?

Nitric Oxide is produced within the cells that line the inside of blood vessels. When these cells are stimulated–such as when the muscle contracts–it synthesizes and releases Nitric Oxide. Once released, Nitric Oxide diffuses across the cell membrane into the adjacent smooth muscle tissue of the blood vessels, causing them to relax and widen (a process called vasodilation). The result is an increase in blood flow to the stimulated area, which ultimately causes your muscles to get pumped and stay that way for around forty minutes afterwards. But it helps everything in your body get more blood flow.

So why do your muscles get stronger when you work out? Well, basically, blood, which is the body’s primary transport medium, carries all the vital nutrients (e.g., amino acid, creatine, glucose, and oxygen) which are required for energy production, growth, and maintenance. Exercising causes more of this to occur. Additionally, blood carries away the by-products of metabolism (e.g., carbon dioxide and lactic acid) that fatigue the muscle and inhibit performance. Increasing blood flow to the muscle enhances growth, strength development, and recuperation. Spirulina has been shown to improve vascular tone by increasing the synthesis and release of nitric oxide, which is what helps your muscles get more blood, oxygen & nutrients brought to them so you get stronger and recover more quickly!

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