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David Barr: 6 Supplements to Enhance Muscle Blood Flow |
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Written by David Barr
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Thursday, 05 February 2009 |
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Page 3 of 4
4. Vitamin C
 Probably the easiest supplemental way to boost training blood flow is also the cheapest, and most widely available. Vitamin C is widely recognized as a potent antioxidant, and it seems to extend this effect to the Nitric Oxide (NO) molecule. After all, NO is a great vasodilator, but its also highly reactive and subsequently very short lived. If we could protect our NO in such a way that it would not be broken, and essentially wasted, we’re more likely to have it actually do its job i.e. getting us pumped.
There are several studies to show that this is in fact what vitamin C does (4, 5, 6)! Now if this doesn’t sound good enough, think about the fact that you’ll already be increasing NO levels from the other supplements discussed here. If Vitamin C can potentiate their effects we could be looking at a synergistic combination.
 5. EGCG
Just like fish oil, green tea is a hot topic right now because of its numerous health benefits (11, 18). The most discussed aspect of green tea is its EGCG content. This powerful substance, known as a catechin, is thought to confer many of the effects of green tea by itself. In fact, infusion of EGCG into arteries has been shown to increase muscle blood flow (9). As you might expect, it did so though NO elevation.
Now we don’t have direct data to show that green tea is going to prime your pump, but given its numerous benefits and low cost, there’s little doubt that it’s a product you want to use.
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Research and Review 
