Before I sit down with Dr. Nathan Bryan — one of the world’s leading researchers on nitric oxide — I want to take you on a deep-dive into why this tiny gas molecule is such a big deal for your health, performance, and longevity.

Nitric oxide (NO) is called the “miracle molecule” for good reason — it keeps your blood vessels relaxed, your circulation flowing, and your cells oxygenated. But here’s the problem: by the time we hit our 40s and 50s, most of us have lost nearly half of our NO production capacity. And that loss doesn’t just make you feel older — it can set the stage for hypertension, insulin resistance, brain fog, cold hands and feet, erectile dysfunction, poor exercise recovery, and even low stomach acid.

In this episode, we’ll unpack:

• What nitric oxide is and how your body makes it — the two main production pathways and how they interact

• Why NO production drops with age and lifestyle — from endothelial dysfunction to loss of oral nitrate-reducing bacteria

• The breath connection — how nasal breathing delivers a direct dose of NO, and why mouth breathing bypasses it

• The oral health link — how gum disease, tongue coating, and antibacterial mouthwash can choke off NO production

• Clinical correlations — how low NO shows up as high blood pressure, reduced exercise tolerance, brain fog, insulin resistance, and more

• Root cause solutions — diet, breathing, exercise, and oral care strategies to restore your body’s NO production naturally

This is your primer episode — the science, the “why it matters,” and the functional medicine connections — so you can get the most out of my upcoming interview with Dr. Bryan. When you hear his cutting-edge research and real-world applications, you’ll already have the foundation to take action right away.

If you care about staying fit, sharp, and vibrant from the inside out as you age, nitric oxide may be the single most overlooked tool in your toolkit. Let’s fix that before it’s too late.