Why Big Pharma Hates Nitric Oxide (And How to Use It Anyway)

Dave Asprey

Jul 17, 2025

Episode description

If you care about longevity, brain optimization, sexual performance, or metabolism, this molecule changes everything. Host Dave Asprey sits down with nitric oxide pioneer Dr. Nathan Bryan to reveal why this overlooked molecule controls your blood flow, mitochondrial energy, neuroplasticity, insulin response, and even your libido. You’ll learn how nitric oxide acts as a master switch for human performance and why the medical system has ignored it for decades.

Watch this episode on YouTube for the full video experience:

https://www.youtube.com/@DaveAspreyBPR

Dr. Nathan Bryan is a world-renowned expert in nitric oxide biochemistry with over 20 years of clinical research, multiple patents, and collaborations with Nobel Prize-winning scientists. His groundbreaking work forms the foundation for modern functional medicine protocols targeting blood flow, metabolism, cognitive enhancement, and mitochondrial upgrades.

You’ll learn:

• How nitric oxide drives mitochondria, metabolism, and human performance

• Why most nitric oxide supplements fail and how to spot real ones

• The critical role nitric oxide plays in brain optimization, libido, and insulin signaling

• How poor oral health, statins, and PPIs can kill nitric oxide production

• What nitric oxide has to do with sleep optimization, aging, and disease prevention

• How to stack nitric oxide with fasting, ketosis, nootropics, red light, and supplements

• Why “Smarter Not Harder” starts with nitric oxide fueled upgrades

This episode is essential listening for anyone into biohacking, cold therapy, functional medicine, or RFK-style medical freedom. You’ll walk away with practical tools to boost nitric oxide naturally, prevent dysfunction, and optimize your biology whether you’re on a carnivore diet or just looking for an edge.

Dave Asprey is a four-time New York Times bestselling author, founder of Bulletproof Coffee, and the father of biohacking. With over 1,000 interviews and 1 million monthly listeners, The Human Upgrade is the top podcast for people who want to take control of their biology, extend their longevity, and optimize every system in the body and mind. Each episode features cutting-edge insights in health, performance, neuroscience, supplements, nutrition, hacking, emotional intelligence, and conscious living.

Episodes are released every Tuesday and Thursday, where Dave asks the questions no one else dares, and brings you real tools to become more resilient, aware, and high performing.

Get Nitric Oxide products for 10% off with code ‘Dave’: https://bit.ly/Nitric-Ox

Mindsip insights from this episode:

Avoid arginine supplements with dysfunctional nitric oxide synthase

Supplementing with arginine when your nitric oxide synthase enzyme is dysfunctional can actually increase oxidative stress by generating superoxide radicals.

#oxidative-stress

#supplement

Combine nitric oxide lozenges with Cialis for enhanced effectiveness

Combining a nitric oxide lozenge with a low-dose PDE5 inhibitor like Cialis can turn non-responders into responders, making the drug effective.

#nitric-oxide

Normalize blood pressure with fluoride-free prebiotic toothpaste

Switching to a fluoride-free, prebiotic toothpaste like Cardio Smile can normalize blood pressure in people whose hypertension is caused by oral dysbiosis.

#blood-pressure

#toothpaste

Eliminate sugar to boost nitric oxide production

Sugar is the worst food for nitric oxide because it changes the oral and gut microbiome and causes enzyme dysfunction, completely shutting down production.

#nitric-oxide

#sugar

Avoid ineffective beet products for health benefits

Many commercial beet products are 'dead beets' with no active nitrate and are so ineffective they are used as placebos in clinical trials.

#nutrition

Address nitric oxide deficiency to combat insulin resistance

Insulin resistance is a symptom of nitric oxide deficiency, as NO is the crucial signaling molecule that tells cells to absorb glucose from the blood.

#insulin

#nitric-oxide

Avoid PPIs and statins to preserve nitric oxide production

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and cholesterol-lowering statins are two classes of drugs that completely shut down systemic nitric oxide production.

#PPI

#statin

Avoid antiseptic mouthwash to prevent blood pressure spikes

Using antiseptic mouthwash is like throwing an atomic bomb in your mouth, causing dysbiosis that raises blood pressure and negates the benefits of exercise.