In this episode of the Thrive State Podcast, Dr. Kien Vuu (“Dr. V”) sits down with nitric oxide expert Dr. Nathan Bryan to unpack why saying “yes to NO” (nitric oxide) may be one of the most important decisions for your long-term health. Dr. Bryan explains how nitric oxide, a gas made by the endothelium and other cells, regulates blood flow, oxygen delivery, mitochondrial energy production, insulin signaling, and detoxification. When nitric oxide production drops, organs become hypoxic and under-nourished, setting the stage for hypertension, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, dementia, erectile dysfunction, low energy, and exercise intolerance.
They dive into how nitric oxide deficiency develops over time—about a 10–12% loss of endothelial function per decade—then gets accelerated by modern habits: antiseptic mouthwash, chronic antacids and PPIs, overuse of antibiotics, the standard American diet, and sedentary lifestyles. Dr. Bryan outlines how green leafy vegetables, beets, movement, and protecting the oral and gut microbiome can restore nitric oxide, while also warning that many arginine/citrulline and beet products don’t actually generate nitric oxide and lack real clinical data.
The conversation then shifts to the frontier of nitric oxide therapeutics. Dr. Bryan describes an orally disintegrating nitric oxide drug in advanced clinical trials for high-risk COVID-19 patients—designed to rapidly improve oxygen saturation, support immune function, reduce inflammation and clotting, and protect the endothelium. Throughout the episode, he returns to a simple core message: remove toxins, replete missing nutrients, restore nitric oxide, and the body often knows how to heal itself.