Ask a Man why they should clean their tongue and they will mumble something about bad breath.
They're not wrong.
The tongue is an excellent trap for food, coffee and alcohol debris that, if ignored, bacteria will convert to stale breath.
But ... what most Men DON’T realise is a simple and regular tongue scrape can have wider health benefits - that impacts on sports fitness, recovery, heart health and much more ...
Yes you read it right - all of these benefits from a simple and inexpensive tongue scrape ...
OK - it's not just about a clean tongue, the other part of the equation is you need to eat the right 'Greens' - rich in Nitrates: Kale, Spinach and Rocket / Arugula. (So it turns out the advice to; "Eat your Greens" was spot on!)
What follows is based on the extensive research of Dr Nathan Bryan an International leader in molecular medicine and Nitric Oxide biochemistry.
Dr Bryan’s work shows how Nitric Oxide is a ‘miracle molecule’ providing a surprising array of benefits throughout our body.
The downside of this is if our Nitric Oxide levels decline we can then suffer issues – many serious.
For those of us over 40 years of age, this becomes more crucial, since our Nitric Oxide levels drop as we age as much as half - from peak levels. Lack of exercise, poor diet and using antiseptic mouthwash can also adversely impact our Nitric Oxide levels.
Dr Nathan Bryan summarised the issue as regards Men in a Podcast in March 2019
“When you can't make Nitric Oxide, your athletic performance will decline and your cardio vascular performance declines ... it is very clear.”
Amazingly his research shows;
“Up to 50% of our daily Nitric Oxide production can be from 'good’ oral bacteria"
To be clear that's a certain type of bacteria in our mouth ... (see footnote 1.)
This is the bit we simply LOVE!
And a clean tongue - from a simple tongue scrape - can have a BIG part to play in actually increasing Nitric Oxide production by our body!
As the World's oldest Producer of quality Tongue Scrapers - you can now see why we love this research!
As Dr Nathan Bryan explains;
"Tongue scraping to remove the 'bad' bacteria, food particles and debris (on the tongue) allows for the 'good' bacteria to flourish and generate Nitric Oxide"
(The precise chemical process as explained by Dr Nathan Bryan - and known as the Nitrate-Nitrite-Nitric Oxide pathway - is; 'Good' Oral Bacteria are 'Nitrate Reducers' that generate Nitrite as a by-product of converting ingested Nitrate-rich food, known as 'Arginine', which then builds up in our saliva. Once swallowed these Nitrites mix with stomach acid to produce Nitric Oxide – which then enters our blood stream).
If you prefer, here's the science on our Explainer Video:
(Part of the AMANO 'Core' range - from £11 to £48)
So how can an increased level of Nitric Oxide actually help improve Men's overall sports fitness, recovery and beyond?
Here are 4 ways Nitric Oxide will help improve Men's Health & Wellbeing:
1.Nitric Oxide (NO) improves sexual function
"Penile erection is a haemodynamic process, involving increased arterial inflow and restricted venous outflow, coordinated with corpus cavernosum smooth muscle relaxation. Nitric oxide (NO) has recently been recognised to play a key role in the physiology of penile erection."
(Cardiovascular Research, Volume 43, Issue 3, August 1999)
Translation: Increasing Nitric Oxide production can improve blood flow to the sex organ and so engorgement and so performance. Beyond the age of 40 over 50% of Men (in the USA) have issues with Erectile Dysfunction (ED).
2. Improve athletic performance and exercise capacity
"It is known that moderate physical exercise can prevent heart disease and many other diseases. This is due to the production of Nitric Oxide (NO). This is why exercise is medicine. However, when people do not exercise, they can develop endothelial dysfunction or loss of NO. When you lose the ability to produce NO, you become exercise intolerant and are unable to maintain any exercise regimen. Restoring NO production will allow the blood vessels to deliver more oxygen and remove waste products to working muscles and improve exercise capacity."
(Nathan Bryan PH.D Blog; Top Ten Reasons Nitric Oxide improves Woman's Health, February 2019)
Translation: Increasing Nitric Oxide production can improve fitness levels.
3. Improves healing and recovery from injury
"Our own resident stem cells are responsible for repairing injured or worn out cells and tissues. Nitric Oxide (NO) is the signal that tells stem cells to mobilise and go to the site of injury and differentiate and repair dysfunctional cells and tissue. If your body can’t make NO, then the body loses the signal to repair itself. Restoring the production of NO will allow for much faster healing and quicker recovery from injury".
(Nathan Bryan PH.D Blog; Top Ten Reasons Nitric Oxide improves Woman's Health, February 2019 )
Translation: Increasing Nitric Oxide production can improve recovery from sports injury and slow the ageing process.
4. Prevent the number one killer, heart disease
"It is crystal clear that maintaining endothelial function and proper Nitric Oxide (NO) production can not only prevent heart disease but reverse and cure existing heart disease. NO prevents the inflammation, oxidative stress and immune dysfunction that occurs in heart disease.”
(Nathan Bryan PH.D Blog; Top Ten Reasons Nitric Oxide improves Woman's Health, February 2019)
Translation: Increasing Nitric Oxide production can improve heart health and prevent the number one killer of Men and Woman!
(Video with kind permission of Dr Nathan Bryan)
It's incredible to think that a simple tongue scrape can help increase your daily Nitric Oxide levels - with all the health benefits outlined above.
Owning an Italian crafted AMANO Tongue Cleanser is really an investment in your very own Nitric Oxide production plant !
But remember you still need some raw materials.
Dr Nathan Bryan recommends these foods, which are rich in Nitrates:
1. Kale
2. Spinach
3. Rocket/ Arugula
And these are his absolute No No's
Do not use antiseptic mouthwash or fluoride (on a toothbrush to clean the tongue) because these chemicals kill the 'good' oral bacteria that produce Nitric Oxide.
So in summary, follow this simple and inexpensive advice and your performance on the sports field and beyond will Rocket ...
Finally we are grateful to Dr Nathan Bryan for allowing us to reproduce his work and trialling our 100% Austenitic Steel Neoclassic AMANO
We close with his kind endorsement …
"I personally use the AMANO tongue scraper daily and highly recommend it"
Dr NATHAN BRYAN, Baylor School of Medicine, Texas, USA
Why choose AMANO?
- Crafted in Italy, the AMANO has been designed to give a superior and visibly effective performance
- Which will take you less than 5 seconds (really - it's that quick)
- Research has shown this routine is almost twice as effective as using a toothbrush
- And with no GAG effect you will feel more relaxed about tongue cleaning as a daily routine