NOS by Body Fortress.... Does it help with ALL circulation????

Question

i cramp really bad, will it help to reduce cramping??? or make it worse??? from what i kno, it helps to increase the flow of blood and nitric oxide to your body, but will it help for reducing cramps???

Answer 1

The jury is still out on what causes muscle cramping. Conventional wisdom points the finger at dehydration and/or nutritional deficiencies (like a potassium deficiency), but recently some alternative theories have emerged. I've included links to them below.

In terms of NOS, it's a nitric oxide enhancer. The main ingredient in all NOS enhancers is arginine (the exact formulation will vary from brand-to-brand.) Arginine is converted by the body into NOS (nitric oxide) which may improve circulation and promote greater vascularity (i.e. the "pump" that supplement companies advertise.)

I haven't seen any research on arginine that suggests that it reduces muscle cramping. The only study I've found was done in 1996 by researchers from the Hospital for Special Surgery in NY and published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine. This study (the reference is below) found that large amounts of nitric oxide are synthesized in professional football players after strenuous exercise with severe muscle cramps. However, the study did not determine whether this increase was due to exercise, the muscle cramps themselves or some combination of the two.

I wouldn't draw any conclusions about the usefulness of NOS boosters to reduce cramping. Instead, check out some of the links below and try some of the strategies for preventing and treating cramps. Stretching, sufficient pre-and-post-carbohydrate intake and proper hydration/electrolyte balance can help.