Arginine is an amino acid, the building blocks of protein. It is found in cottage cheese, ricotta, milk, yogurt, beef, pork, poultry, seafood, wheat, granola, oatmeal, nuts, seeds and soybeans. Because arginine is essential to the body, it must be consumed through the diet. The name L-arginine is derived from the fact that the side branch in the amino acid molecular structure is "left-handed."
Definition
Protein is constructed from amino acid building blocks in the body. There are 20 amino acids total. About half of these are essential amino acids: they cannot be manufactured by the body and must be obtained through the diet. Arginine is actually semi-essential. Though the body can synthesize much of it, you may sometimes need supplementation in your diet.
Symptoms
Protein is used as a structural and functional component in many important parts of the body, so a deficiency will manifest itself as a number of physiological problems. Symptoms of arginine deficiency include poor wound healing, hair loss, skin rash, constipation and a fatty liver.
Identification
Arginine is used for specific functions of the body, so there are many ways to tell whether or not you might have a deficiency. People with protein malnutrition, excessive ammonia production, burns, infections, peritoneal dialysis, rapid growth, urea synthesis disorders or sepsis may not have enough arginine. The excessive intake of lysine, another amino acid, may also cause a deficiency. This is because lysine and arginine compete for absorption in the body. The two amino acids must always retain a specific ratio in the body.
Considerations
A study published in the "American Journal of Diseases of Children" found that arginine deficiency could also be associated with a deficiency of carbamoyl phosphate synthetase, which is an enzyme that catalyzes carbamoyl phosphate, an important intermediary molecule that participates in nitrogen disposal from the body. Nitrogen is removed in a substance known as urea. In people with urea cycle defects, arginine becomes an essential amino acid. Its consumption is critical.
Recommendations
Arginine deficiency is relatively rare. For most poeple, your body makes enough of it, and the quantity of arginine in the diet is so ubiquitous that the rest can easily be consumed without much conscious effort. Unless specifically recommended for medical purposes, supplements are rarely needed.
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