Perpetual Pump! hehe, that would mean that your heart will be pumping more blood continously... Marketing hype statement if I've seen one...

But regarding VW's question regarding reviews of NO/NOx/NO3, I usually just IGNORE any claims by individuals regarding this. If it's not a controlled group tested by an unbiased source, it'll either bring us marketing biased results or placebo comments (since they bought it anyway...) Sometimes, we work "harder" when we supplement ourselves. The resulting pump is caused by our mindset which pushed us to work harder rather than a direct correlation of the supplement's effectivity.

Most serious BB sites say that this supplement is a complete waste of money since it's rare that your body needs to supplement NO2 to function well. It helps the transfer of oxygen to worked muscles, but the effects are very temporary and can be replicated with active recovery workouts (flexing, stretching etc)

Here's a review...

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NO 2 Supplement Review

NO 2 Hemodilator is recently released, highly hyped, and "crazed" supplement on the market. Like when creatine monohydrate first hit the market, NO 2 is making a big splash in the supplements industry and has many bodybuilders' interests piqued, and just like when creatine first came out, its very costly.

If you've seen some ads for NO 2 supplement, you'll see the grand promises it makes:
Huge gains in lean mass
Accelerate fast twitch muscle
Perpetual pumps
Faster recovery and increased strength gains

So really, can the average Joe make fantastic gains with this new 'miracle' supplement?

NO 2 hemodilator was introduced by Ed Byrd, who also happened to introduce creatine to the bodybuilding world. Given this fact, it would seem NO 2 has some potential.

NO 2 - nitric oxide background

Nitric Oxide was originally discovered in the 80's - come to think of it, that's only about 20 years ago. Two scientists were studying a mysterious gas that was only present for an instant every time a muscle contracted and blood vessel dilated. They eventually discovered this gas, and it was called nitric oxide.

Hemodilation means widening of the blood channels, leading to increased blood flow resulting in more nutrient and oxygen delivery.
How Does NO 2 Hemodilator Work?

As said above, nitric oxide is present only briefly when a muscle contracts and blood vessel dilates. What it does is increases blood flow. When you exercise, nitric oxide is released causing blood surges, which is what you experience - call the 'pump'. However, this is only temporary, which is why you lose that awesome pumped feeling shortly after you finish your workout.

What Ed Byrd has managed to do, is developed a NO 2 extended release delivery system in what they call "pHyser3", and this forces a continuous daily production of nitric oxide, and you get a "perpetual pump".

Quote from NO 2 supplement ad: [Hemodilation is initiated by nitric oxide synthesis. Nitric oxide is the "cell-signaling" molecule responsible for blood flow, oxygen delivery, glucose uptake, muscle velocity, power output, and gene-expression, or muscle growth. By sustaining nitric oxide levels in the skeletal muscles, NO 2 generates its sustained hemodilation. The channels that deliver muscle building agents to the muscle cells become "forced open" and remain that way throughout the day. The results are faster gains in lean mass, greater strength, increased endurance, complete full-body muscle recovery, and a "perpetual pump."]
NO 2 and Creatine Information

Both creatine and NO 2 supplements are introduced by the same person, Ed Byrd. So what's the connection between them other than the originator? Creatine volumizes cells by pulling water into the cell, which is known as water retention. NO 2, by hemodilation, fills up the spaces between the cells with blood, giving a continuous pump. The NO 2 is supposed to make the creatine pump harder as well. This leads to a synergistic effect between the two, and leading to greater pumps and a very dense and hard look.

Aside from all this, the makers claim that the biggest benefit of NO 2 Hemodilator is its ability to generate new muscle growth, increase strength, and improve muscle recovery.
NO 2 Supplement - The Low Down

All of the stuff they claim about NO 2 sure sounds enticing huh? I have to admit, after looking into this supplement (Nutraceutical Expressor as they call it), I am inclined to shell out a little cash to try it. After all, the perpetual pumps, increase in strength, better muscle growth and recovery, and synergies with creatine makes it sound like one helluva supplement.

However, I looked high an low, and I have to tell you, I cannot find one study conducted on effects of NO 2 that backs up the claims made. That's right, those are just claims. And without studies to substantiate the claims, one can only go out on a limb and spend a hefty $80 bucks to buy it, and hope for the best.

With that said, perhaps I can shed some light on the effectiveness of NO 2 supplements based on real life experience feedback and reviews I have received from users.

From the small sample of user feedbacks I've received, I have tabulated their results with NO 2 Hemodilator as follows:
Positive response - 9
Neutral response - 3
Negative response 5
2 Users experienced a 2 to 3lb gain in weight
1 user reported going from 205 to 226lb (21 lbs) in 2 months
1 user reported going from 225 to 242lb (17 lbs) in 2 months
13 users experienced no noticeable weight gain
1 user experienced headaches and migraines
In general, there's an increase in overall strength and endurance
All positive feedbacks reported noticeable pump, and a prolonged pump, with fuller and harder muscles

These are the highlights from the reviews I received. Obviously, weight gain is not as apparent as the claims make it out to be, with only 2 users reporting extraordinary gains, and 2 users making gains in the 2 to 3lb range, and the rest with no noticeable weight gain. Other than that, NO 2 hemodilator does live up to its claims for generating perpetual pumps.

Obviously, this is in no way a scientific measure of NO 2, but at least it does give some objective review of actual user feedback and experience with NO 2.
NO 2 Side Effects

While there isn't much documented side effects of using NO 2 supplement, high doses of arginine maybe toxic, and over use can lead to diarrhea and nausea. As said above, one user did experience headaches and migraines. Other than that, there isn't much more to say about its side effects.

There are other Nitrc Oxide products available now, with exactly same ingredients consisting of 3000mg of arginine Alpha-ketoglutarate. For example, popular alternatives include Pinnacle's popular NOx2, BSN Nitrix, or Universal NOx3. (All have the same ingredients.) The main difference is the pricing.

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One thing NO2 supplements can help is erectile disfunction hehe

"Who needs it and what are some symptoms of deficiency?

Everyone REQUIRES nitric oxide to carry out key physiological processes within the body. From a bodybuilder's perspective, nitric oxide supplementation may prove useful in increasing growth due to increases in blood flow to certain areas of the body. Further, men suffering from erectile dysfunction may also find supplementing with nitric oxide helpful.

Signs of deficiency include the inability to achieve and sustain erections, physical weakness and extreme fatigue. Most "nitric oxide" supplements contain the amino acid Arginine-alpha-keto-glutarate. "

paradigm shift ba hehehe

Kasi parang effective... pero hindi ko alam kung ano yun effective eh, kung yun MRI no2 or yun bago kong program, kasi intense yun buhat ko ngayon... feeling ko increase bloodflow lang during workouts pero hindi perpetual pump. nagiging perpetual pump lang in the long run kasi masmatumatagal or bumibigat yun kaya mo.

hala! so hindi totoo na pinapaganda yun bloodflow or yun pinapalaki yun veins?

my review: (siyempre base on experience)

MRI NO2 - sobrang mahal pero so far ito yun pinakamaganda. 4tablets per intake compared to 3 lang sa iba... so at the end of the day 8000mg ang natatake mo na aakg. madali itake at kita agad yun effects.

BSN NITRIX - okay so far, parang no2... pero hirap icompare sa MRI kasi masmura

MUSCLETECH PUMPTECH - one word... SUPOT!

UNIVERSAL NUTRITION NOx3 - sabi ng kaibigan ko wag ko na daw itake... aakg + oakg siya kaya naiiba... talagang kakaiba kasi paghinawakan mo nadudurog... second (tablets only) lang sa pumptech na pinakaSUPOT...

SYNTRAX NITROUS - hehehehe, powder siya unlike others. kung hindi ka nagtatake ng iba, okay lang. pero kung icompare mo sa mga tablets, hindi siya effective.

Pinnacle NOx2 - have to try pa... pero okay din yun reviews ng friends ko..

METHODS AND RESULTS: Two studies were performed, each in groups of eight healthy subjects. Brachial artery infusion of BQ-123 caused significant forearm vasodilatation in both studies. This vasodilatation was reduced by 95% (P=.006) with inhibition of the endogenous generation of nitric oxide and by 38% with coinfusion of the ET(B) receptor antagonist BQ-788. In contrast, inhibition of prostanoid generation did not affect the response to BQ-123. Infusion of BQ-788 alone produced a 20% reduction in forearm blood flow.

CONCLUSIONS: Selective ET(A) receptor antagonism causes vasodilatation of human forearm resistance vessels in vivo. This response appears to result in major part from an increase in nitric oxide generation. ET(B) receptor antagonism either alone or on a background of ET(A) antagonism causes local vasoconstriction, indicating that ET(B) receptors in blood vessels respond to ET-1 predominantly by causing vasodilatation.

PubMed

Here lies the problem; vasodilatation causes a drop in blood pressure (because as the veins widen, the pressure drops). Baroreceptors in the aortic arch and in the carotid sinus will detect this fast, sudden drop.

In order to protect the body from going into shock, vasomotor centers in the medulla will cause the blood vessels to the brain to constrict in order to increase blood pressure going into the brain (too much blood can severely damage the brain, just like too little).

This is a dangerous sequence that can potentially lead to catastrophe!
Keep this in mind the next time you consider using any supplement that claims prolonged pump due to nitric oxide synthesis.

(quoted)
My advice would be to stop taking it at once. I can find the medical studies to back my claim from the American Journal of Sports Medicine, the Journal of Applied Physiology and the National Strength and Conditioning Journal. But I will simplify it for you:

Nitric oxcide (NO2) causes vasodilation in your blood vessels. As a result, blood pressure drops quickly and drastically. This alerts chemoreceptors and as a last ditch effort to keep the brain from going into shock, the blood vessels leading to the brain vasoconstrict (tighten/get smaller).

Sometimes the blood vessels contract completely, not allowing any blood to get through to the brain.

It is no wonder why the most common side effect of NO2 is dizzyness. Some have fainted and some have died. I suspect more deaths will come from NO2 in the near future. Make sure you aren't one of them...

(quoted)

-- Edited by theveed at 16:29, 2005-01-05