The Molecule with a Nobel Prize and No Mainstream Moment

In 1992, nitric oxide was recognized as the “molecule of the year”, and in 1998 a Nobel Prize was awarded to three scientists who discovered its role in cardiovascular health. In the pantheon of Nobel Prize winning molecules, nitric oxide uniquely spans those essential for human life, including vitamins, as well as those enabling breakthrough approaches to medical therapeutics, such as penicillin. Quite an achievement for what is, atomically speaking, the smallest of the molecules in this decorated group.

Why hasn’t nitric oxide had its mainstream moment?

Three decades later, nitric oxide’s potential for preventative cardiovascular health has yet to be realized and cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in the US and globally. Meanwhile, the most notable applications of nitric oxide science to human health arguably have been an accidental discovery regarding erectile dysfunction (Viagra), discovering why a key ingredient in one of the world’s favorite tastes can be heart healthy (cocoa), and discovering why one of the world’s least liked foods can improve exercise performance (beetroots, with the apt Latin name Beta vulgaris). My career has provided me with a unique opportunity to understand why much of nitric oxide’s power to improve human lives remains unrealized, and what can be done to unlock it.

What did cocoa flavanol research reveal about nitric oxide?

During the 1990s, in parallel to nitric oxide’s meteoric rise, I built the cardiovascular health research program at Mars (yes, the candy company known for its chocolate). Collaborating with UC Davis, Harvard Medical School, and others, we discovered that flavanols, molecules naturally abundant in freshly harvested cocoa, could enhance nitric oxide levels in the cardiovascular system, improve key markers of cardiovascular health, and reduce morbidity and mortality outcomes related to cardiovascular health. While a giant step in revealing the health potential of a much loved food and beverage ingredient, this extraordinary scientific research achievement has been a disappointingly small step in catalyzing creation of widely adopted nutrition products delivering cardiovascular health benefits.

Why did a Nobel Prize–winning nutrition discovery stall?

A nutrition discovery that could improve the lives of hundreds of millions of consumers building on Nobel Prize winning science stalled out. Why? I have always had at least one foot firmly planted on the industry side of the table during my career, so it pains me to say I believe industry is to blame for this missed opportunity. On the bright side, this creates a great leadership opportunity for companies wanting to fill the gap and capitalize on the surging consumer interest in health and nutrition. So, what should they do to capture this high ground?

What is industry getting wrong about nutrition R&D?

These days, I devote my time to helping the same UC Davis innovation ecosystem that worked on cocoa flavanols to translating new scientific breakthroughs into food and nutrition products that can radically improve health. I can see that industry’s own credibility is exactly what has kept something like nitric oxide sidelined for so long. Having sat inside corporate and academic environments, I can tell you plainly what is going wrong: company investment into the R&D and science-backed validation required for meaningful consumer health product innovation has steadily decreased in comparison to what they spend on marketing and selling unproven products. This approach to innovation strategy results in blockbuster transformative opportunities from science-driven breakthroughs such as nitric oxide sitting idle while near-termism and incremental opportunities take priority. There seems to be no penalty for companies choosing this path. Until now.

How are GLP-1 drugs and label transparency reshaping nutrition?

A perfect storm has suddenly converged on the food industry driven by GLP-1 drugs and a grassroots consumer health movement demanding honest label transparency from the food and dietary supplement industries. Consumers always want to live longer and have a great time doing it. Now consumers need more nutrition from less food consumption due to the exploding use of weight loss medications, and they want to know which nutrition brands they can trust to meet this need. Consumers will increasingly reward scientific proof over marketing hype at mainstream scales. Conditions are ripe for a nutrition innovation revolution prioritizing, not ignoring, game changing scientific breakthroughs such as nitric oxide. Being a good business will be a prerequisite for becoming a big business in the realm of consumer health and nutrition.

What is Humann’s role in the nitric oxide story?

This evolution into imminent revolution is taking my career full circle.

During the halcyon days of my journey with cocoa and nitric oxide, I was grateful to meet Ferid Murad, one of the Nobel Laureates honored for research on nitric oxide. Dr. Murad worked with Humann, a nutrition company born out of a passion to bring the cardiovascular health benefits of nitric oxide to the world. In tune with Dr. Murad’s scientific legacy, Humann invested into rigorous clinical trials to validate the health benefits of their unique products, including support for optimizing athletic performance as well as maintaining healthy blood pressure.

Now Humann wants to lead a cardiovascular health revolution and they asked if I would help. In this case, NO (chemistry shorthand for nitric oxide) meant yes! I have joined the Humann Science Advisory Council as its Chair. Prioritizing investment into Nobel Prize inspired science-based nutrition innovation will set a leadership example for companies in the consumer health sector. Nitric oxide may yet enjoy its mainstream moment and, most importantly, a chance to deliver its full potential for improving lives.

Dr. Harold H. Schmitz, formerly Chief Science Officer with Mars, Incorporated, is a Senior Scholar in the UC Davis Graduate School of Management and co-founder of The March Group, an investment firm focusing on science-based consumer health innovation. He now serves as Chair of the Humann Science Advisory Council.