23/06/2025
ORAL Health products that you 'think' are giving you good oral health benefits? We've said it for decades - i'ts a NO for those mouthwashes.
Nitric Oxide (NO) is a critical signaling molecule in the body that plays a key role in various physiological processes, including blood vessel dilation, digestion, immune response and nerve transmission.
NO acts as a vasodilator, relaxing blood vessels and improving blood flow, which can lead to lower blood pressure and enhanced oxygen and nutrient delivery to the tissues.
Additionally, NO helps regulate the immune system by influencing the activity of immune cells and releasing inflammatory mediators.
A new study found that antiseptic mouthwashes hinder nitric oxide production by killing beneficial bacteria in the mouth that are essential for converting dietary nitrates into nitrites which are then further converted to nitric oxide. This disruption of the enterosalivary-nitrate-nitrite-NO pathway can lead to NO deficiency.
Low NO levels are linked to high blood pressure, impaired vision, depression, neurodegenerative diseases, cognitive decline and even the death of health cells.