The following are the primary scientifically backed reasons that anyone - even healthy people - should consider adding arginine to their health and wellness regimen.
- It is one thousand times more powerful than any naturally occuring antioxidant in the body. Arginine's antioxidant properties support various body systems and may protect against heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes, as well as slowing premature aging. (16,17)
- It offers wide-ranging cardiovascular support, including controlling blood pressure(18,19) and plaque formation. Nitric oxide keeps arteries relaxed and pliable for normal blood pressure, preventing hypertension and angina.(20)
- It enhances memory, particularly long-term memory,(21) and may help to reverse the effects of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.(22)
- It boosts human growth hormone (HGH) production, which has antiaging properties.(23)
- It enhances communication of messenger cells between nerves and the brain.(24)
- It may help improve immune function(25) and fight bacterial infections.(26)
- It may help in the treatment and prevention of diabetes since many disease complications, including poor circulation and blindness, are vascular in nature. Arginine is also found to regulate insulin secretion in the pancreas.(27,28)
- It may inhibit the division and proliferation of cancer cells.(29,30)
- It helps with cholesterol control by lowering serum and LDL cholesterol levels.(31)
- It enhances male sexual performance by treating vascular erectile dysfunction (ED).(32)
- Its anticoagulant abilities reduce clotting to lower heart attack and stroke risk.(33)
- It reduces pregnancy-related hypertension, a risk factor for both the expecting mother and the unborn child.(34)
- It is useful in the treatment of asthma by opening pulmonary pathways for easier breathing and the treatment of lung disorders.(35,36)
- It relaxes hypertonics sphincter muscles, preventing and healing hemorrhoids.(37)
- It boosts lean muscle mass and preserves bone density by encouraging HGH production,(38) which also leads to a reduction in fatty tissue. As a result, it may be useful in weight management and strenght training.
- It can help offset cardiovascular and lung damage caused by tobacco use,(39) since nitric oxide levels in smokers are less than half of those found in non-smokers.(40)
- It helps to accelerate wound healing(41) and post-surgery recovery.(42) Research has shown it is useful in treating burn wounds(43) and stimulates wound healing in the elderly.(44)
- It may be useful in enhancing athletic performance due to its ability to boost exercise tolerance,(45) its beneficial effect on the lungs, and its effect on HGH levels, which helps with building lean muscle tissue.
- It may be used to improve the function of the prostate.(46)
- It may prevent and possibly reverse the effects of osteoporosis by positively affecting bone mass.(47)
- It has been used in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome(48) and to reduce the occurence of ulcers - especially stress-related - without affecting gastric acid production.(49,50)
- It may improve renal function and slow the progression of renal disease and age-related chronic renal failure.(51,52) Arginine's protective effect on the kidney's may also benefit those with diabetes.
Scientific Validation
1. Toprakci M, et al. Age-associated changes in nitric oxide metabolites, nitrite and nitrate. Int J Clin Lab Res. 2000; 30(2):83-5
2. Vallance P, Moncada S. Nitric oxide - from mediator to medicines. J R Coll Physicians Lond; 1994 May-Jun; 28(3): 209-19.
3. Zeiher, A.M., Scachinger, V., and Minners, J., "Long-Term Cigarette Smoking Impairs Endothelium-Dependent Coronary Arterial Vasodilator Function", Circulation. 1995; 92:1094-1100.
4. Nakaki T, et al. L-arginine Induced hypotension, Lancet. 1990 Oct 20; 336(8721):1016-7.
5. Khedara A, Kawai Y, Kayashita J, Kato N. Feeding rats the nitic oxide synthase inhibitor, L-N(omega) nitroarginine, elevates serum triglycerides and cholesterol and lowers hepatic fatty acid oxidation. J Nutr. 1996 Oct; 126(10): 2563-7.
6. Suematsu Y, Ohtsuka T, et al. L-Arginine given after ischemic preconditioning can enhance cardioprotection in isolated rat hearts. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 2001 Jun; 19(6): 873-9.
7. Bode-Boger SM, Boger RH, et al. Differential inhibition of human platelet aggregation and thromboxane A 2 formation by L-arginine in vivo and in vitro. Arch Pharmacol. 1998; 357:143-50.
8. Hambrecht R, et al. Correction of endothelial dysfunction in chronic heart failure: additonal effects of exercise training and oral L-arginine supplementation. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2000 Mar 1; 35(3): 706-13.
9. Cheng JW, Balwin SN. L-Arginine in the management of cardiovascular diseases. Ann Pharmacother. 2001 Jun; 35(6): 755-64.
10. Desrois M, Sciaky M, Lan C, et al. L-arginine during long-term ischemia: effects on cardiac function, energetic metabolism and endothelial damage; J Heart Lung Transplant. 2000 April; 19(4): 367-76.
11. Burnett, A.L. Nitric Oxide in the Penis: Physiology and Pathology. J Urology. 1997; 157: 320-4.
12. Much Ado About NO. Harvard Health Letter. 1993; 18: 6-7.
13. Zorgniotti, A.W. and Lizza, E.F. Effect of Large Doses of Nitric Oxide Precursor L-Arginine, on Erectile Dysfunction. International Journal of impotence Research. 1994; 6:33-6.
14. Chen J, Wollman Y, Chernichovsky T, et al. Effect of high dose nitric oxide donor L-arginine in men with organic erectile dysfunction. BJU Int. 1999 Feb; 83(3): 269-73.
15. American Heart Association (www.americanheart.org).
16. Kochupurackal P, et al. Nitric Oxide: an antioxidant and neuroprotector. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 2002; 962:389-401.
17. Kumar CA, Das UN. Lipid peroxides, antioxidants and nitric oxide in patients with pre-eclampsia and essential hypertension. Med Sci Monitor. 2000 Sep-Oct; 6(5):901-7.
18. Brown, M.D., Dengel, D.R., supiano, M.A. Nitric Oxide Biomarkers are Associated with the Blood Pressure-Lowering Effects of Dietary Sodium Restriction in Older Hypertensives. Circulation (Abstract I). 1997; 96:I-539
19. Rosano, G.M.C., Tanina, G., Cerquetani, E., Leonardo, F., Pelliccia, F., Bonfigli, B., and Chierchia, f.L. L-arginine improves Endothelial Function in Newly Diagnosed Hypertensives. The Journal of the American College of Cardiology (Supplement A),. 1998; 31:262a.
20. Moncada, F., Palmer, R.M.J., Higgs, E.A. The Discovery of Nitric Oxide as the Endogenous Nitrovasodilator. Hypertension. 1988; 12:365-72.
21. Pautler EL. The possible role and treatment of deficient microcirculation regulation in age-associated memory impairment. Med Hypotheses. 1994 Jun; 42(6): 363-6.
22. Tarkowski E, et al. Intrathecal release of nitric in Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 2000 Nov-Dec; 11(6): 322-6.
23. Ghigo E, Arvat E, Gianotti L, et al. Hypothalamic growth hormone-insulin-like growth facto-1 axis across the human life span. J Pediatr Endocrinol Metab. 2000; 13 Suppl 6: 1493-502.
24. Fried R, Merrell WC. The Arginine Solution. New York, NY. Warner Books, 1999.
25. Efron D, Barbul A. Role of arginine in immunonutrition. J Gastroentol. 2000; 35 Suppl 12: 20-3.
26. Korting GE, Smith SD, Wheeler MA, Weiss RM, Foster HE. A randomized double-blind study of oral L-arginine for treatment of interstitial cystities. J Urol. 1999 Feb; 161(2): 558-65.
27. Piatti PM, Monti LD, Valsecchi G, et al. Long term oral L-arginine administration improves peripheral and hepatic insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2001 May; 24(5): 875-80.
28. Mohan IK, Cas UN. Effects of L-arginine-nitric oxide system on chemical induced diabetes mellitus. Free Radic Biol Med. 1998 Nov 1; 25(7): 757-65.
29. Heys SD, et al. Dietary supplementation with L-arginine; Modulation of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes in patients with colo-rectal cancer. Br J Surg. 1997 Feb; 84(2): 238-41.
30. Brittenden J, et al. Dietary supplementation with L-arginine in patients with breast cancer (> 4cm.) receiving multi-modality treatment: report of a feasibility study. Br J Cancer 1994 May; 69(5): 918-21.
31. Khedara A, Kawai Y kayashita J Kato N. Feeding rats the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, L-N(omerga) nitroarginine, elevates serum triglycerides and cholesterol and lowers hepatic fatty and acid oxidation. J Nutr. 1996 Oct; 126(10): 2563-7.
32. Chen J, Wollman Y, Chernichovsky T, et al. Effect of high dose nitric oxide donor L-arginine in men with erectile dysfunction. BJU Int. 1999 Feb; 83(3): 269-73.
33. Wolf A, et al. Dietary L-arginine supplementation normalizes platelet aggregation in hypercholesterolemic humans. J Am Coll Cardiol. 1997 Mar 1; 29(3): 479.
34. Podjamy, E, at el. Pregnancy-induced hypertension in rats with adriamycin nephropathy is associtate with inadequate production of nitric oxide. Hypertension. 1997; 29:986-991.
35. De Gouw Hw, Verbruggen MB, Twiss IM, Sterk PJ. Effect of oral L-arginine on airway hyper-responsiveness to histamine in asthma. Thorax. 1999 Nov; 54(11): 1033-5.
36. De Gouw HW, Marshall-Partridge SJ, et al. Role of nitric oxide in the airway response to exercise healthy and asthmatic subjects. J Appl Physiol. 2001 Feb; 90(2): 586-92.
37. Fried R, Merrell WC. The Arginine Solution. New York, New York. Warner Books, 1999. pp 4-5.
38. Stevens BR, Godfrey MD, Kaminski TW, Braith RW. High intensity dynamic human muscle performance enhanced by a metabolic intervention. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2000 Dec; 32(12): 2102-8.
39. Heitzer, T., Just, H., and Munzell, T. Antioxidant Vitamin C improves Endothelium Function in Chronic Smokers. Circulation. 1996; 94:9.
40. Zeiher, A.M., Schachinger, V., and Minners, J. Long-Term Cigarette Smoking impairs Endothelium-Dependent Coronary Arterial Vasodilator Function. Circulation. 1995; 92:1094-1100.
41. Barbul A, et el. Arginine enhances wound healing and lymphocyte immune responses in humans. Surgery. 1990 Aug; 108(2): 331-6; discussion 336-7.
42. Braga M, Gianotti L Raedelli G, et al. Perioperative immunonutrition in patients undergoing cancer surgery; results of a randomized double-blind phase 3 trial. Arch Surg. 1999 Apr; 134(4): 428-33.
43. De-Souza DA, Greene LJ. Pharmacological nutrition after burn injury; J of Nutri. 1998 May; 128(5): 797-803.
44. Kirk SJ, et al. Arginine stimulates wound healing and immune function in elderly humans. Surgery. 1993 Aug; 114(2): 155-9; discussion 160.
45. Bednarz B, Wolk R, Chamiec T, et al. Effects of oral L-arginine supplementation on exercised induced QT dispersion and exercise tolerance in stable angina pectoris. Int J cardiol. 2000 Sep 15; 75(2-3): 205-10.
46. Aikawa K, Yokota T, et al. Endogenous nitric oxide-mediated relaxation and nitrinergic innervation in the rabbit prostate; the change with aging. Prostate. 2001 Jun 15; 48(1): 40-6.
47. Fini M, et al. Effect of l-lysine and L-arginine on primary osteoblast cultures from normal and osteopenic rats. Biomed Pharmacother. 2001 May; 55(4): 213-21.
48. Sahin AS, Atalik KE, Gunel Dogan N. Nonadrenergic, noncholinergic reponses of the human colon smooth muscle and the role of K+channels in these responses. Methods Find Exp Clin Pharmacol. 2001 Jan-Feb; 23(1): 13-7.
49. Ohta Y, Nishida K., Protective effect of l-arginine against stress-induced gastric mucosal lesions in rats and its relation to nitric acid- mediated inhibition of neutrophil infiltration. Pharmacal Res. 2001 Jun; 43(6): 535-41.
50. Khattab MM, Gad MZ, Abdallah D. Protective role of nitric oxide in indomethacin-induced gastric ulceration by a mechanism independent of gastric acid secretion. Pharmacol Res. 2001 May; 43(5): 463-7.
51. De Nicola L, Bellizzi V, Minutolo R, et al. Randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled study of arginine supplementation in chronic renal failure. Kidney Int. 1999 Aug; 56(2): 674-84.
52. Reckelhoff JF, et al. Long-term dietary supplementation with L-arginine prevents age related reduction in renal function. Am J Physiol. 1997 Jun; 272(6 Pt 2): 1768-74.
