Question explored with the scientific record
Conversation so far
- 1 what make nitrous oxide decrease as we get older, what are the effect, what are the solutions
- 2 what do we know about nitric oxide, what help, what is antagonist, what are the medication that could help increase it, what are the effects
- 3 is obesity a factor, how so?
- 4 it was found that NIR help clear up the oxidative stress in particular in mitochondria
Answered on this page ↓
it was found that NIR help clear up the oxidative stress in particular in mitochondria
The short version: the retrieval here is mostly about nitrous oxide as an anesthetic, not about nitric oxide decline with aging or NIR therapy. The question deserves a straight answer, and the evidence does not cover it.
The records you got are almost entirely about nitrous oxide (N2O), the anesthetic gas, not nitric oxide (NO), the signaling molecule. That is a different compound with a different biology. One record does cover endogenous nitric oxide: it summarizes NO as a multifunctional gas made from L-arginine, and notes that inhaled NO lowers pulmonary vascular resistance and improves oxygenation in ARDS, while intravenous vasodilators do not [5]. That is real, but it does not answer why NO levels fall with age or whether near-infrared light restores mitochondrial oxidative stress.
The other records are about anesthesia complications: B12 inactivation from nitrous oxide exposure [4, 6], middle ear pressure changes [1], hearing loss after spinal surgery [2], and bone marrow changes in ICU patients [3]. These are real harms of nitrous oxide, and they matter for anyone being offered that gas. But they are not evidence about aging, nitric oxide, or NIR.
What the retrieval cannot see: the aging literature on NO decline, the mitochondrial oxidative stress work, and any trial of NIR therapy. That does not mean those studies do not exist. It means this search did not surface them. The burden of proof is on the intervention, and no evidence here supports or refutes NIR for mitochondrial oxidative stress.
What can be said from mechanism: nitric oxide is central to blood flow and mitochondrial function, and oxidative stress is known to scavenge it. If NIR reduces oxidative stress in mitochondria, it could plausibly support NO availability. But plausibility is not proof. No record here measures that.
My call: the evidence does not establish that NIR clears mitochondrial oxidative stress or restores nitric oxide. The retrieval is off-topic, and the burden of proof is unmet. Confidence: not clear.
Sources used 6
-
Evaluation of tympanometric alterations in patients subject to general anesthesia with nitrous oxide
This study evaluates the impact of nitrous oxide on middle ear pressure in patients undergoing general anesthesia, revealing significant tympanometric alterations postoperatively in nearly half of the subjects despite no prior auditory tube dysfunction.
DOI: 10.1016/s1808-8694(15)31323-9 -
Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss After Spinal Surgery Under General Anesthesia
Two elderly male patients developed sudden sensorineural hearing loss immediately after spinal decompression surgeries under general anesthesia, with nitrous oxide exposure, Valsalva-like maneuvers, and transient cerebrospinal fluid pressure changes proposed as contributing fact…
DOI: 10.1097/00002517-200104000-00014 -
INCIDENCE AND PATHOGENESIS OF ACUTE MEGALOBLASTIC BONE-MARROW CHANGE IN PATIENTS RECEIVING INTENSIVE CARE
A prospective study of 70 severely ill ICU patients showing nitrous oxide exposure largely drives acute megaloblastic bone-marrow change and disturbances in folate metabolism, evidenced by widespread dU-suppression abnormalities that persist and shift from vitamin B12- to folate…
DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(82)90808-X -
Nitrous oxide abuse-induced subacute combined degeneration: A case report highlighting vitamin B12 metabolic dysfunction and its implications
A patient with prolonged nitrous oxide abuse developed subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord despite normal serum vitamin B12 and routine investigations; this case highlights recognizing SCD in chronic nitrous oxide users.
DOI: 10.54029/2026wvh -
Nitric oxide: an endogenous gas
This narrative review summarizes the multifunctional physiological and pathophysiological roles of endogenous nitric oxide synthesized from L-arginine, emphasizing the implications for anaesthesia and intensive care.
DOI: 10.1093/bja/74.4.443 -
Functional Vitamin B12 Deficiency Induced by Nitrous Oxide: Case Report of Acute Psychosis and Severe Neuropathy
A 76-year-old woman with severe psychotic depression was able to continue ECT through a Port-a-Cath after peripheral venous access failed; the device enabled reliable treatment, with no adverse events and gradual improvement.
DOI: 10.1192/bjo.2026.11766