NO More Heart Disease: How Nitric Oxide Can Prevent--Even Reverse--Heart Disease and Strokes [Paperback]

Louis Ignarro (Author)

Book Description

Release date: January 24, 2006

Dr. Louis Ignarro discovered "the atom" of cardiovascular health--a tiny molecule called Nitric Oxide. NO, as it is known by chemists, is a signaling molecule produced by the body, and is a vasodilator that helps control blood flow to every part of the body. Dr. Ignarro's findings led to the development of Viagra. Nitric Oxide has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system as well.

NO relaxes and enlarges the blood vessels, prevents blood clots that trigger strokes and heart attacks, and regulates blood pressure and the accumulation of plaque in the blood vessels. Dr. Ignarro's current research indicates that Nitric Oxide may help lower cholesterol by facilitating the actions of statin drugs like Lipitor.

The goal of the regimen presented in NO More Heart Disease is to age proof the cardiovascular system, keeping the vascular network clean and elastic through enhanced NO productivity. The plan is easy-to-follow without extreme lifestyle adjustments, involving taking supplements to stimulate Nitric Oxide production, incorporating NO friendly food into the diet, and a moderate exercise program.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The discovery of Nitric Oxide by Lou Ignarro, and the role that it plays in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, is as important as the discovery of penicillin and insulin."
- David Heber, M.D., Ph.D., Director, UCLA Center for Human Nutrition

About the Author

Dr. Louis J. Ignarro is a Distinguished Professor of Pharmacology at the UCLA School of Medicine. He has developed a supplement called Niteworks that is distributed by Herbalife. He won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1998 for his research on Nitric Oxide.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; Reprint edition (January 24, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312335822
• ISBN-13: 978-0312335823
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (84 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #40,849 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #30 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Diseases & Physical Ailments > Heart Disease

More About the Author

Dr. Louis Ignarro is an American pharmacologist. He was corecipient of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Robert F. Furchgott and Ferid Murad for demonstrating the signaling properties of nitric oxide.

He is a professor of pharmacology at the UCLA School of Medicine's department of molecular and medical pharmacology in Los Angeles, which he joined in 1985. Prior to that he was a professor of pharmacology at Tulane University School of Medicine for 12 years.

Dr. Ignarro is the author of NO More Heart Disease and Health Is Wealth, along with a multitude of academic works.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

117 of 120 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A SOLUTION FOR HEART DISEASE, DIABETES AND CANCER SUFFERERS December 12, 2005

By Dan Kassell

Format:Hardcover

Dr. Louis J. Ignarro, a Nobel Laureate in Medicine, has compiled the history of a discovery that continues to be proven to "Prevent-Even Reverse-Heart Disease and Strokes" and specifically describes "A Proven Program for Boosting Production of the Body's Own Wonder Drug" in "NO MORE HEART DISEASE", St. Martin's Press 2005, 248 pages.

Dr. Ignarro's preliminary research explained that there was a naturally occurring substance that C-Laureate Dr. Robert Furchgott called "endothelium-derived relaxing factor" (EDRF). Dr "I" identified Nitric Oxide (NO) between 1978 and by 1986 proved that "nitric oxide's role in the body was definitely a signal molecule, which performed crucial cardiovascular functions." Arterial plaque he illustrated, "if you think of the living healthy wall cells as being slick like Teflon, while an unhealthy cell is sticky like Velcro, causing plaque to attach" then you've got his idea. His program titled, "Say Yes to NO" recognizes that "red meat fish, olive oil, nuts and pomegranate juice enhance the body's ability to produce NO. Unfortunately he cautions, you would have to eat one hefty steak all three meals a day to maintain a beneficial level of NO. Therefore he recommends a NO boosting blend of amino acid supplements: L-Arginine, L-Citrulline plus Alpha Lipoic Acid, C, E, and Folic Acid and adds, "the acceleration of blood that occurs during exercise can stimulate the production of the enzyme NO synthase, which is important to the body's production of NO." That means it works better if you exercise!

Although this 2005 book publicizes NO's effect it doesn't include John P. Cooke MD Ph.D, the head of Stanford's Medical Research team as the first to include L'Arginine in a candy bar to tempt the American public to get NO every day and only mentions co-Laureate Ferid Murad, the Houston pharmacologist who conducted the earliest studies on nitric oxide.

Some will try to get enough L-arginine and L-Citrulline from foods but the short list only includes: almonds, dark chocolate, garbanzo beans, melons, peanuts, red meat, salmon, soy and walnuts. The good news for choco-holics, a prodigious Penn State U study concluded, "that the cocoa/dark chocolate diet interfered with the oxidation of LDL cholesterol." So, Dr. I suggests consuming in moderation - "divide it in small pieces and eat them throughout the afternoon and evening, one bite at a time." Therefore, next time you're asked to go for coffee, choose cocoa (hot chocolate) because the poly phenols Harvard Med School and Brigham Woman's Hospital showed that the "antioxidants in cocoa support NO synthesis." Or, drink a glass or two of red wine because it's rich in polyphenols that "markedly stimulate NO production." Purple grape or pomegranate juice may even be better than wine, and don't forget to eat some blueberries because they contain pectin, which is best known for its cholesterol lowering fiber.

To get all the best results, when should you boost your body's production of NO?

"Once a day before bedtime or twice a day - in the morning and before bedtime," and when combined with a minimum dose of 200 mg L-Citrulline, "a synergistic effect occurs," Dr. I prescribes. For those who may be concerned, he assures "no side effects have been reported in the medical literature."

The most important news Dr. I has for a diabetic is that NO can, "halt the development and progression of diabetic complications . . . reduce the risk of diabetic retinopathy. NO can make a difference in your quality of life." The same is true for Cancer - NO can inhibit the growth of cancer cells."

Sensible people with any of these maladies would be well advised to go online to discover that Argenix in an easy to take liquid with both arginine and citrulline. Or wait until a white coat Doctor does a double blind study.

© 2006 Dan Kassell

All Rights Reserved

66 of 69 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Response to Be Careful's review and concerns June 15, 2007

By Don Shapiro

Format:Hardcover

This statement is about Be Careful's review and not the book as a whole. There is no question that increasing Nitric Oxide is beneficial to the body. Besides the heart, it can have a dramatic effect on brain related issues such as headaches and migranes because of what it does to blood vessels. Be Careful's review focuses on taking the supplement L'arginine to promote the production of Nitric Oxide. In fact, directly taking this amino acid may not be the best way to do this and there is a potential of other effects especially with the dosage level the author recommends. My wife takes a product called Oxegen AKG which eliminates the problems of directly taking L'arginine and is proven to increase Nitric Oxide levels in the body. This product has made a huge difference for my wife who does suffer from headaches and a "foggy brain" feeling that occurs from constricted blood flow. She has been taking the product for several years without any side effects and can feel the difference when she doesn't take it. On the website for the maker of Oxegen AKG, they explain the problems of taking L'Arginine directly. Hope this helps.

37 of 39 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended! March 27, 2006

By N. L. Hatch

Format:Hardcover

This book is easy to read, interesting, and full of potentially life-saving information. By the time I had read enough to learn how to improve my heart health, and followed Dr. Ignarro's recommendations, I lowered my blood pressure from 140/88 to a very low 90/57! Later readings were more in the normal range of 120/70...this after 30 years of hypertension! The only real changes I made were in diet, and adding a couple of amino acids that were the basis of the dramatic drop in blood pressure. I am recommending this book to my friends and loved ones with heart disease.