Nutritional Strategies to Increase Nitric Oxide Signaling in Raynaud's Phenomenon

Raynaud's phenomenon (RP) is a clinical condition that follows an exaggerated vasoconstriction of extremities in response to a cold or emotional stress. Microvascular dysfunction and alteration of the endothelial NO‐dependent vasodilatation pathway through NO synthases (NOS) represents one of the main mechanisms. A pharmacological treatment in RP is proposed to patients when conservative measures are not efficient enough to control the symptoms: calcium channel blockers remains the first line, phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors as a second line treatment, while intravenous iloprost remains restricted to patients with digital ischaemia. Vasodilator therapies are commonly associated with side effects due to the non‐specific systemic vasodilation that often result in permanent discontinuation. Many patients prefer complementary and alternative therapies, but none has proven its efficacy. Therefore, there is still room for improvement in the treatment of RP, and research is needed in this area.