I always thought that was nitrous oxide, or is it that the same as nitric
oxide?

For clarification: as others have said, nitric oxide is not the same
thing as nitrous oxide (which the dentist uses to make you less aware
he's causing you a lot of pain).

Nitric oxide was the topic of a Nobel prize-winning study in recent
years, and has been much-touted as a potential path to stopping, or
perhaps even reversing, cardiovascular disease.  There are a number of
books and publications on this topic.  Your body produces nitric oxide
gas naturally in extremely small amounts when you do particular
activities, like exercise, but it is consumed by the body's cells
within a couple of seconds of creation.  Nitric oxide dilates the
blood vessels and increases blood flow (supposedly, that's how Viagra
works - by boosting nitric oxide levels), and it has been asserted
(but perhaps only by people who want you to buy their supplements)
that it has been shown to dramatically increase the ability of cells
to utilize more energy more efficiently (i.e. burn more fat in less
time).  Nitric oxide supplement makers claim that one of your body's
limiting factors in weight loss is precisely how much fat it is able
to burn in a given period of time, given the capacity of your cells to
"burn" the energy.  They claim nitric oxide extends drstically your
body's "fat-burning speed limit" by helping your cells use more
energy.  Probably a pipe dream, like every other "too good to be true"
weight loss aid out there, but still - it is entirely possible that
someday someone will find something that helps right the genetic
"imbalances" - whatever they may be - of those of us whose bodies seem
to store fat no matter what we do.

Nitric oxide is a real chemical with real documented effects.  I just
wondered if it really aids in burning fat or not.  I remain skeptical,
but curious.

CD