The Smart Inner Lining of Your Blood Vessels

Your blood vessels are more than just pipes that let the blood flow through. They’re extremely smart. They have an inner lining called the endothelial glycocalyx (or EGX) that constantly monitors the flowing blood and controls what passes into your body and what’s kept out. This is important because the blood carries nutrients and oxygen that your organs need.

This is where the slippery-smooth inner lining, called the EGX, is especially useful.

A Home for Essential Helpers

As well as providing a protective lining, the EGX also regulates several key functions. For example, it contains special molecules that support healthy blood flow. The EGX also houses a powerful antioxidant (superoxide dismutase, or SOD) that helps fight free radicals.

Nitric Oxide: A Key to Healthy Living

One of the most amazing jobs the EGX does is to trigger the production of nitric oxide, or NO. This is a natural gas your body produces that widens the blood vessels and has many important functions. Here are some of the things NO does for you:

• Helps support normal circulation
• Helps support blood pressure already in the normal range
• Improves muscle performance when you work out
• Helps you recover after exercise
• Contributes to healthy sexual function
• Helps keep you maintain energy and stamina

The EGX senses how fast the blood is flowing through the arteries and sends a signal to make NO according to what it learns.

From all this, you can see how smart the EGX is, and what an important role this inner lining plays in supporting your health.