The 1998 Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded for the discovery of nitric oxide's importance to the cardiovascular system, spurring interest in L-arginine because it's used to make nitric oxide. Because of L-arginine's ability to help improve blood flow, it is often marketed to bodybuilders wanting to bulk up and people wanting a better sex life. Since there are potential side effects of L-arginine supplements, a healthier way to add it to your diet is to seek out foods rich in this amino acid.
Identification
L-arginine is a nonessential amino acid, meaning that, if you're healthy, your body is able to produce the substance on its own without supplements. It was first isolated in 1886 from animal horns, with scientists later learning of L-arginine's importance in creating the waste product urea, used to remove toxic ammonia from your body and in helping make creatine, a vital energy source used by cells. L-arginine may be important in treating cardiovascular disease because it helps prevent plaque buildup in arteries, promoting blood supply and reducing blood clots.
Plant Sources
Although L-arginine is an amino acid, there are high concentrations found in plant sources. Spanish peanuts are highest, with 3.13 g/100 g of food, followed by regular peanuts at 3.09 g/100 g. In fact, almost all nuts and legumes are good sources, including almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, hazel nuts, lentils, Brazil nuts, flaxseed, kidney beans and soybeans.
Animal Sources
Among animal sources, fish tend to be at the top of the L-arginine list, with canned tuna containing 1.74 g/100 g. followed closely by salmon and shrimp. Poultry, pork and beef are good sources, as are eggs, either whole or just the yolks. However, meats also contain the amino acid lysine, and the two different types of amino acid can compete with each other for intestinal absorption, decreasing the effects of L-arginine in the body. Some meat sources are also high in saturated fat, not recommended for a healthy diet.
Considerations
A study in Egypt at the Food Science and Technology Department of Alexandria University, published in "Food Chemistry" in 1983, indicated that cooking chickpeas significantly reduced the amounts of arginine, lysine and a third amino acid in the food. It was recommended that you cook chickpeas at a temperature no greater than 250 degrees Fahrenheit for less than an hour in order to minimize losses in amino acids and vitamins. This same principle may also apply to other sources of L-arginine. Also, it's worth noting the FDA has not established a daily recommended dose for L-arginine from foods or supplements, although MayoClinic.com recommends a dose of L-arginine pills not to exceed 9 g in a 24-hour period -- about the amount in a cup of peanuts.
References
- Drugs.com; L-arginine; 2009
- Dietary Fiber Food; L-Arginine: Food Sources High in Arginine Amino Acid Content; 2006
- "Food Chemistry"; Effect of Cooking on Tryptophan, Basic Amino Acids, Protein Solubility and Retention of Some Vitamins in Two Varieties of Chick Pea; Abdel-Hamid Youssef Abdel-Rahman; 1983
- MayoClinic.com; L-Arginine; April 2011
- Drugs.com; Lysine; 2009
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