Does bacon help you breathe?

Several years ago I noticed elite sports people wearing nasal strips. This intrigued me, but never enough to investigate the reason why. Then I heard about the Nitric Oxide pathway and it fell into place.

The nitric oxide pathway is the body’s quick messaging system. It makes a tiny gas called nitric oxide that tells blood vessels to relax, reducing blood pressure, improving blood flow, helping nerve cells communicate, and supporting the immune system in fighting germs.

Nose breathing stimulates the nitric oxide pathway primarily because the nasal sinuses actively produce nitric oxide, and nasal breathing delivers that nitric oxide straight into the lungs and then the bloodstream.

Mouth breathing bypasses this source of nitric oxide almost entirely.
Mouth breathing:
* Skips sinus made nitric oxide
* Causes faster, shallower breathing
* Reduces CO₂ levels which may trigger hyperventilation

Also mouth breathing causes much greater water loss eg overnight maybe 500ml. A good reason to start the day with a glass of water plus electrolytes.

Nitric oxide is often confused with nitrous oxide (N₂O), also known as laughing gas. Nitrous oxide is used recreationally.

When I first heard about the benefits of the nitric oxide pathway, I recollected the “Nitrite Free” labels on bacon and wondered,
“Could regular bacon boost my athletic performance?”

Nitrites are added to bacon mainly as a preservative, and the body uses them inefficiently. Most nitric oxide comes from nitrates in vegetables, which mouth bacteria convert to nitrites before they are transformed into nitric oxide in the stomach and bloodstream.
So soz - it’s a ‘no’ for bacon…