Common Sense Health: Are we as old as our arteries?

By Dr. Gifford-Jones and Diana Gifford-Jones on March 21, 2025.

Sir William Osler was a wise old owl in explaining medical matters. He was a professor of medicine at McGill University in Montreal, John Hopkins University in Baltimore, and finally at Oxford University in England. He told students, “We are all as old as our arteries and it’s lucky to have good rubber in them.” If you’re lucky you’ll have soft flexible ones that expand with each heartbeat. But you’re unlucky if you have rigid ones that cause hypertension, one of the big killers. Are you interested in a natural remedy to fight high blood pressure, decrease the risk of stroke, and extend longevity? NEO40, a nitric oxide supplement, may be the right option.

Discovering the nitric oxide molecule came as a surprise to researchers. For 100 years it was well known that nitroglycerine was a powerful explosive. It had been used in warfare and for many other purposes. Doctors also knew that patients who were suffering from angina could have chest pain quickly eased by using nitroglycerine. But they had no idea what was in nitroglycerine to cause coronary arteries to expand and bring blood full of oxygen to hearts crying out for help.

Researchers discovered that it’s the miracle molecule, nitric oxide (NO), which in nanoseconds sends messages to coronary arteries and other cells. NEO40 is nitric oxide in tablet form.

Early in life, the body produces large amounts of NO in the innermost lining of blood vessels. But as we age it’s not surprising that the supply gradually decreases. This results in narrowing of arteries, the onset of hypertension, and the medical complications associated with this disease. Left untreated, chronic high blood pressure damages the arteries causing a chemical and inflammatory reaction that kills a North American every 37 seconds.

NO offers many other advantages. It makes platelets, small particles in the blood, less likely to stick together forming a fatal blood clot and coronary death. It also increases good cholesterol, lowers bad cholesterol and triglycerides, and prevents bone destruction from osteoclasts.

Fortunately, it helps to control the worldwide pandemic of diabetes that is killing millions of people. Too much sugar gradually destroys the circulatory system and fifty percent of diabetic patients die of a heart attack. The other medical complications of diabetes such as blindness, kidney failure and amputation of often both legs are also increasing in North America.

Millions are also suffering from respiratory problems, as all of us are living in a world with extensive air pollution. Researchers at Hammersmith Hospital in London, England found that NO helps to maintain a biochemical balance in air passages and that it could be helpful in treating inflamed airways. A Dutch study found that NO can calm nerves in tightened airways and relax muscles.

There are also millions of North Americans who suffer from debilitating diseases like arthritis. Researchers at the University of Colorado report that NO increases the blood supply to nerves and eases joint inflammation; This can be of great help to those suffering from the pain of osteoarthritis.

Today, more people are travelling to places like Mexico City or to ski resorts at high altitudes, like Aspen, Colorado. They’re both over 7,000 feet above sea level, where oxygen is more limited, and shortness of breath can be a serious problem. Be prepared for such visits by taking NEO40 in your baggage.

NEO40 is a lozenge that contains L-citrulline, an amino acid derived from protein, vitamin C, beet root, and hawthorn, a potent combination that produces nitric acid.

Osler was right. You live longer with good rubber.