Glycocalyx & Nitric Oxide: Keys To Heart Health

Ed Hoyt

You got it. She’d been so proud that you knew. Yes. I’m the co-founder and CEO of the company.

Joel Kahn, MD, FACC

I was putting that out of meeting you at a lot of scientific meetings. We’re talking a lot about arteries and disease, how to measure them by CT angiography, and how to reverse them through nutrition and supplements. But we haven’t talked about that miracle, 50,000—some people say 60,000—miles that line the arteries called your endothelium. I remember this statistic, I think, from our mutual friend Mark Houston. You could probably fill six or seven tennis courts if you could take all that single, thin paper lining and all these arteries from your brain to your toes and lay them out. It’d be a whole bunch of tennis courts. It’s this massive organ in the body that keeps us healthy. But tell me when your company, which is about how old now, Calroy Health?

Ed Hoyt

Calroy was founded and officially founded as a company in 2014. Our research started before we founded the company to bring the product to market. The research started in 1999.

Joel Kahn, MD, FACC

Excellent. a long tradition, and there is a lot of research, and that’s why we’re talking. We love innovations that are backed by both basic science and human science, but you have focused and taught many doctors, you and your team, about a part of the arteries that most people haven’t heard of. Most people have heard of the endothelium, that single layer of cells that make the miracle molecule nitric oxide, Nobel Prize-winning in 1998. But not a lot of people have heard about glycocalyx, and the hundreds, if not thousands, of research studies. Tell us what the glycocalyx is and why anybody is listening, if they want them to stay healthy—a healthy brain, healthy heart, healthy sexual health, healthy leg circulation—and why they should care about the word glycocalyx.

Ed Hoyt

Yes, tough word. Definitely. I remember when I was first introduced to this concept, it took me a couple of months to figure out how to say it. But you mentioned this single-cell layer called the endothelium. That’s the little inner lining of all the veins, arteries, and capillaries throughout the whole body. What was not known until about 20 or 25 years ago, roughly, was that there was another lining on top of that. It’s super thin; you’re talking about the one-cell layer thick. This is a very slippery and super thin lining. It has a funky name called the endothelial glycocalyx. It’s like the slippery lining on top of that endothelium. It performs a whole host of super-important functions.  I’m excited to talk to your organization and your listeners about this today because it’s fun to talk with people about something that they don’t know.

I was surprised and impressed, Dr. Kahn, when I met you. You were one of maybe a dozen doctors that I met at that time that I heard about the endothelial glycocalyx because most healthcare professionals were never taught about it in school again. After all, the imaging technology wasn’t there. it was fun. The very first time we met, we met at a big educational conference, and I’m pretty sure that’s what it was. and I started talking to you, and you had heard about it. I thought, Yes, Because a lot of doctors frankly say that. Then you started telling me about it, and it was exciting to know that you were on the forefront like that. But for your listeners, this little lining does so many different things. The first thing that I think is so important is that it is, as I said, a very slippery lining. Probably the most important thing that it does is control what elements, materials, compounds, vitamins, minerals, hormones, etc. get to go through the endothelial wall into the cells and nourish every cell of your body.

It’s like I was talking to a neighbor down the street about this when I told him, Imagine a doorman at a fancy club or a high-end restaurant or, maybe, an apartment complex, a high-end posh apartment complex. What that doorman does is greet people, and figure out if you are supposed to be in there or not. Are you good for this place? Are you on the list of approved people to enter? Well, that’s exactly what endothelial glycocalyx is like. It is a very thin physical layer, super thin. But one of its primary functions is that it determines what gets to go inside and what, just like a doorman says, I’m sorry, you need to keep going. You’re not on the list.

Joel Kahn, MD, FACC

This is what I’m describing; it’s a somewhat slimy substance, like we call it mucopolysaccharides, and people who are listening don’t have to worry about that. But these gorgeous arteries in your body are covered in snot. Is that unfair, or that?

Ed Hoyt

Not, that’s a great way to put it. I may use that analogy.

Joel Kahn, MD, FACC

People understand they understand. If I’m right because you have the scientific team. I mean, your ideal artery would have a healthy endothelium. That makes a lot of things, but it also makes a lot of nitric oxide. Your healthy artery would have that lining on top, or this layer on top. You’d have a healthy endothelium, and for a healthy glycocalyx, the glycocalyx is the first defense from things in the blood. Things in the blood, like particles from smoking cigarettes, things in the blood, like maybe a rich dinner, poorly chosen or full of perhaps animal-saturated fats that may damage your endothelium, which has been described. Is that fair? You’d like to have both the protective layer and then the actual endothelium, as healthy as possible.

Ed Hoyt

Absolutely. You cannot have wonderful cardiovascular health without both of these elements. You need a healthy endothelium, which a lot of people and a lot of your listeners have probably heard about, but you cannot have a healthy endothelium without a healthy endothelial glycocalyx. I like to think of the endothelial glycocalyx as the protector, but this is the protector’s protector. This layer protects the endothelium from damage. This layer helps the endothelium be able to perform its function correctly. Yes, you have to have both. Unfortunately, it gets worn down through all sorts of different lifestyle choices, heredity factors, etc. 

But for example, you mentioned smoking, and smoking will wipe out that layer in hours. In hours, they can wipe that layer out. Now, your body does have the ability to naturally regenerate this layer, but it takes some time. It can take a couple of days, assuming there are no other insults to the layer. For example, high-sugar meals that’ll wipe it out, unregulated glucose, and varying blood sugar levels make people with diabetes have a difficult time regulating this layer. As I mentioned, smoking, environmental factors, etc. The key is a healthy endothelium, and this is the endothelium’s protector. This, like I said, is the doorman who gets to decide what particles come in. If nasty particles are coming down that you don’t want to get inside your organs, it just makes them keep on flowing. That’s part of that slippery layer that you were talking about.

Joel Kahn, MD, FACC

From my perspective, having practiced medicine and cardiology for over three decades, one of the reasons that patients don’t hear a lot about nitric oxide production or endothelial health from their medical team is that it’s hard to measure. If you have clean arteries, maybe you’ve got an ultrasound, a calcium score, or a more advanced CT angiogram. If you have good sexual health and you’re asymptomatic now, you can make an assumption. You probably have a healthy endothelium, but you don’t know for sure. 

There are advanced machines. We have one in my clinic called the ENDOPATH, but they’re not commonly available. It’s hard to measure nitric oxide production. You can use a little saliva on test strips. You can do a blood test called ADMA, but you don’t measure nitric oxide in the blood. They can measure potassium. We certainly have trouble measuring those, glycocalyx. We have a ways to go in terms of testing that’s widely available and functional. There is a machine you put under your tongue that may allow you to image the glycocalyx. But it’s far from widely available. It’s very expensive. There are a lot of drawbacks. But your research team and I met your wonderful Chief of Science, Dr. Chen Chen, with a PhD, after you guys looked in nature to see what could bulk up this glycocalyx, and tell us how you did that and what you found.

Ed Hoyt

Yes, thanks. Dr. Chen is an absolute marvel, and we are lucky to have him. He’s the one who was involved in the initial research, trying to find compounds that would support the restructuring or rebuilding of the endothelial glycocalyx once it was compromised, and even if it’s not compromised, help keep it from getting compromised. You are right, there was no technology. Many years were spent trying to develop a technology that could measure it to give an image to your listeners. This layer is so thin that just to be the thickness of an average piece of paper, it would take about 1000 of these layers to be the thickness of one piece of paper. You can imagine how difficult it is to study. Well, in a joint venture with the Academy of Sciences, a device called a microfluidic chip was created. This chip is a lab device where you can grow actual human endothelial glycocalyx cells, it has all these different inputs and outputs, and you can enter different subjects or substances in to see what is moving the needle, either hurting the glycocalyx or helping the glycocalyx.

Through that, we were able to affirm that this very interesting seaweed called Monostroma Nitidum. It was the thing that was moving the needle. In the beginning, we didn’t understand why. But later, the research found a special compound in this Monostroma Nitidum from seaweed called Rhamnan Sulfate. Now that matters just to understand that what happened was that we were able to test all these different compounds, and we still use this tool today. It ended up being patented. Other people use the tool to measure things against the glycocalyx. We had to help some other scientists create the tools so that we could be sure that we had selected the proper compound.

Joel Kahn, MD, FACC

A lot of people listening just said, What did he say?

Ed Hoyt

Thank you, please interpret.

Joel Kahn, MD, FACC

We’re talking about treating arteries in humans for a healthier, glycocalyx with a special seaweed that your team identified and some of the chemical contents of the seaweed, Rhamnan Sulfate. But not too many people who haven’t studied your product line before probably ever thought that there’s a potential for seaweed to be a therapy. There’s a lot of research about different kinds of seaweed use of brown seaweed. Am I, right?

Ed Hoyt

This is a green seaweed.

Joel Kahn, MD, FACC

Okay, sorry. Thanks for the clarification. Then you, because there is a product that you have had on the market now, I’m going to guess five years. You can correct me.

Ed Hoyt

Yes. Probably about six and a half. Yes.

Joel Kahn, MD, FACC

Okay. It has a variety of contents in a gorgeous vegan capsule, which I appreciate you doing. There was a time when it wasn’t a gorgeous vegan capsule, but it is now. in addition to the seaweed that provides support for a healthy endothelial glycocalyx. You’ve got some other goodies. What are some of the other goodies in there that help with artery health?

Ed Hoyt

There’s a very interesting blend of 22 different fruits and vegetables in the hierarchy of order. You’ve got things like your Grape Seed Extract and Green Tea. It’s a blend to provide polyphenol support for the arteries and veins, capillaries, etc, It’s supportive of the primary driver, which is this Monostroma Nitidum and I want to mention that our company was able to, through the testing of this device, create a special patented extract of the Monostroma Nitidum

It’s called Monitum RS. That’s just a brand name, a trade name for this extract. This is the extract that’s had the studies on the published studies, etc., that show that it helps rebuild and restore human endothelial glycocalyx. This is that Monitum RS is what was used in the studies with this crazy chip thing I was talking to you about.

Joel Kahn, MD, FACC

Yes. Your website, to your credit, has some nice research attached. I’m looking at an article that’s hard to read. Rhamnan Sulfate, which sounds like something you might order in a Korean restaurant, is a proprietary extract; of Monostroma Nitidum. That’s the green seaweed. But this is the key. Regenerates a compromised endothelial glycocalyx shed caused by high glucose. You’ve tested it, and you were repairing the endothelium, and the endothelial glycocalyx with this combination. 

Just before we take a little break, tell us either anecdotally or a little bit of science. People are listening and saying, Okay, now I got to another capsule, this time green seaweed plus other plant-based goodies. Why would I do that? What can it do for my health? I just assume it’s somebody with some carotid block and coronary disease,  Atherosclerosis.

Ed Hoyt

Yes, well, we have a lot of research, and a lot of it’s published research, and our whole focus is on supporting cardiovascular health, so for people that are concerned about their cardiovascular health, this is foundational. You mentioned Dr. Mark Houston earlier. He is, coauthor,  or excuse me, a companion of yours in this field. He now feels that taking care of this glycocalyx layer is foundational. It’s one of the five foundational focuses that he has in his practice because it protects the endothelium, and you can’t have cardiovascular health without the interior; you can have endothelium health without the glycocalyx, etc. They stack on top of each other. 

Now, I personally, as a doctor, cannot tell you why I took it or why I was attracted to it. I was introduced to Dr. Chan probably 13 or 14 years ago and started learning about this research. I have very significant health and heart health challenges on both sides of my family tree. I mean, my father had five or six MI’s before he finally died, and both of his parents had heart issues. My mother was one of the youngest open heart surgery patients in the country at the time that she had open heart surgery. Both of her brothers and her sisters died of either a heart attack or stroke. I mean, just a lot of cardiovascular issues that follow straight down to me. When I heard about this, I knew cardiovascular disease was the number one killer in the world. Even at the height of COVID, it was the number one killer. For me, I wanted it as a protector. I was doing fairly okay with my different readings, but I wanted to be a protector, and what was very interesting for me was that I’ve been on the product for quite a while now. 

Once I saw the research, I started getting on the product, and I’ve had tremendous results for that. Anyone else’s results will be different. You can tell, I am popping around the website. I have done it before. Calroy.com. C-A-L-R-O-Y dot com. You can talk to your healthcare team. But it is a vitamin and it can be bought through onsite websites and doctor’s offices, my office, and others. You should take a look at it because the science is strong and we’re fighting. As you said, the number one killers of men and women. We’re trying to fight it without bypass surgery and without stents, which are just super-big Band-Aids that some people need. But they’re not healing the endothelium, and they’re not healing the endothelial glycocalyx. Maybe the answer is seaweed, not stents. Well, it makes a huge difference for many people. I know that you can put a number of your patients on our products and have a direct line of sight to the types of results that are being seen. But I feel lucky to have this amazing research team that can bring things that are so efficacious.

Joel Kahn, MD, FACC

Very good. We’re going to take a break. Don’t go anywhere. Where the founder and CEO of Calroy.com and Calroy Health, Ed Hoyt, will be back. I want to say thank you to our general listeners. We are going to dive a little deeper into nitric oxide and other unique educational and clinical aids that Calroy has provided with a product called Vascanox. If you’re leaving us now, you can go to their website and read more. But stick with us, and we’ll be right back.

Ed Hoyt

Okay, thanks.

Joel Kahn, MD, FACC

We’re back with the Founder and CEO of Calroy.com, Ed Hoyt. We just had a fascinating dive into endothelial glycocalyx seaweed and a pathway to healing your arteries using a nature-based, plant-based combination product called Arterosil. But now we’re going to shift a little because the other part of the arteries behind the glycocalyx is the endothelium, which has the endothelial capacity to make a lot of nitric oxide. If you want good blood pressure, you want good nitric oxide production. If you want good sexual health, brain health, or lung health, it’s pretty much a body-wide critical molecule, which is why it was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1998. 

But I can tell you there is no pharmaceutical agent that’s called your nitric oxide boosting agent, and that’s why the supplement world has responded. There are options out there, but you have a product that’s been around now for a couple of years called Vascanox, V-A-S-C-A-N-O-X HP, probably high potency. You have to guess what HP was for. But you’ve got some new, unique data in September 2023. We’re talking after that. But tell us why, compared to other options, people who are doing test strips and they’re frustrated that their nitric oxide production looks low, or maybe they come to my clinic and they get a blood test called ADMA, which can assess nitric oxide synthesis as a couple of dogs barking in the background. Well, ignore it. Tell us about why your product, based on some new research, is exciting and different.

Ed Hoyt

Yes. Thank you, Dr. Kahn. I would imagine your listeners have heard a lot about nitric oxide and its benefits for the body. You mentioned the primary ones: better circulation, lower blood pressure, control of blood pressure, sexual health, mental clarity, etc. One of the challenges with the products that you cited was their short longevity. You can measure some of the precursors for the nitric oxide on these little strips you can put into your mouth. If they turn pink, you’re doing well, and most of the products have a short time where they’re in the effective range, some of them as little as a couple of hours, some of them as long as four, five, or six hours. Dr. Chan and his research team were looking; could there be a way to extend that? Can there be a way to have it be that you didn’t have to, like, let’s say you or we have one of our cardiologists who is also a customer who is a marathon runner? He used to take these nitric oxide capsules just every few hours as he was doing his marathon. He was looking for something that could last a long time.

What our new and patent-pending product does is stimulate another gas in the body, and these two gases, nitric oxide and oxygen, gas and they stimulate another companion gas that, when the two work together, lasts a long time. We knew that it would last a long time. We engaged the Hypertension Institute to do a clinical study, and they put patients on it and measured them throughout the day, the next morning, and. It was a 30-day or 60-day test where they were measured numerous times throughout the day for blood pressure as well as nitric oxide. It lasted over 24 hours. It’s the first product that keeps that store of available nitrates to be able to tap into it for the body to convert and make nitric oxide. It’s a real game changer if you’ve got patients or listeners that are taking nitric oxide products and they’d like to be able to know that they have a smoother ramp and they stay in that area for a much longer period. As I said, up to 24 hours. Then this is something that they might want to take a look at.

Joel Kahn, MD, FACC

Very cool. We’re talking about assisting your own internal, usually artery-based, There is a pathway to make nitric oxide, but probably this is mainly artery-based nitric oxide production and to sustain it longer than what we think we get out of other products and what is in it, what leads to these two gases and interact and give, now clinically proven and published, sustained nitric oxide support.

Ed Hoyt

Yes, great question. We have nitrite sources, including potassium nitrate, one of the real magic, and this is a very special black garlic. It includes a special element called S.A.C. There are only two places in the world that we could get. The one that was standardizing it to what we knew it would take for this to work. That specialized black garlic, along with a cardio-berry blend and potassium nitrate, is what’s in the product.

Joel Kahn, MD, FACC

It’s interesting. A lot of people are listening and have chosen a plant-based diet, but not everybody. We include everybody in this conference, but this amazing power of your seaweed product is called Artirosel. Now we’re talking about Vascanox being, going in nature and recruiting them. It’d be a little hard to eat this combination. You’ve put them into a capsule that I think you take just twice a day, and it’s another vegan wrap capsule. We appreciate that. That is again called Vascanox and people can just go online and buy these nitric oxide saliva test strips, and they can test it themselves, buy a bottle, give it a whirl, and see if it over the next 30 days, or however many days you choose to do it, you can prove to be our scientists. We tried that kind of biohacking. But this is a little bit more, as proven already, than just biohacking, like jumping in ice every day. so many people as biohacking does. But I choose not to do that. I’d rather take this garlic and bio-berry blend and all the rest. 

Well, thank you so much for sharing all your knowledge, your experience, and your company, Calroy.com. Again, these are not pharmaceuticals. You don’t need prescriptions. You can decide if you want to boost your health and your arterial wellness by considering some of the topics we talked about. Thanks a lot. The future is bright. It will probably be another product coming down the road, I bet.

Ed Hoyt

Yes. We’re kind of a skunkworks for unique products. We don’t just create a big, giant line; yes, we have three more in the pipeline that’ll be coming over the next three years. Each one is unique like this. If any of your listeners have any further questions, they can always go to Calroy.com/drtalks, which is D-R Talks. We’ve got some special information for them there. thanks. Thanks for having me on. Dr. Kahn. 

Joel Kahn, MD, FACC

That’s exciting, and it’s nice for you to set that up for everybody. Check it out, and we’ll talk soon and hope to bump into you at the next meeting.

Ed Hoyt

It sounds great. Take care. Bye bye.