Arginine is an amino acid that is in proteins and makes nitric oxide, a gas inside your blood vessels that relaxes your arteries and increases blood flow. Arginine has potential medicinal properties in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and inflammatory conditions. Consult your doctor about your diet and research studies on the health benefits of arginine.
Cardiovascular Function
Arginine improves endothelial function. Endothelial cells line the inside of your blood vessels and enable normal blood flow. When your endothelial cells become damaged or inflamed, they become dysfunctional, which can result in cardiovascular disease, including impaired blood flow and the potential for a heart attack or stroke. Research by scientists at the University Hospital in Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany and published in "Alternative Medicine Review" in March 2005 reports that elevated blood levels of asymmetric dimethylarginine inhibits nitric oxide formation, which can cause vascular dysfunction, and that supplementation with arginine can restore endothelial and cardiovascular function.
Heat Stroke
Arginine can reduce blood pressure associated with heat stroke, a cerebrovascular condition that involves inflammation of blood vessels in the brain. If left untreated, heat stroke can be fatal. Arginine supplementation decreases the effects of heat stroke, lowers cerebrovascular dysfunction and decreases brain inflammation, according to scientists at Taipei Veterans General Hospital in Taipei, Taiwan, in research on rats that was published in "Shock" in February 2008 The scientists discovered the faster arginine supplementation is administered, the more significant the increase in nitric oxide and reduction in blood pressure within the brain.
Hypertension
Hypertension, also called high blood pressure, is a cardiovascular condition that increases your risk of stroke. Research by scientists at the University of California at Los Angeles School of Medicine in Torrance, California and published in the "Journal of the American College of Nutrition" in October 2002 discovered that supplementation with arginine may increase endothelial nitric oxide production, which, in turn, can lower blood pressure. The scientists report that the effectiveness of arginine occurs within two hours of ingestion and that blood pressure stays lower until one hour after discontinuation of arginine.
Erectile Dysfunction
Arginine supplementation may be effective in treating erectile dysfunction, a condition characterized by inability to attain and keep an erection long enough for successful sexual intercourse. Research by scientists at Seminological Laboratory in Sofia, Bulgaria, and published in the May June edition of "Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy" in 2003 discovered that oral administration of arginine and pycnogenol significantly improves sexual function in men with erectile dysfunction. The scientists report that nitric oxide triggers smooth muscle relaxation, which is required for penile erection, and that by the third month of treatment, more than 90 percent of men experienced a normal erection. Pycnogenol is a product that contains Pinus pinaster, a substance that can improve male fertility and circulation.
References
- University of Southern California; How Nitric Oxide Maintains Health; Athan Bezaitis; February 18 2009
- "Alternative Medicine Review"; L-Arginine Improves Vascular Function by Overcoming Deleterious Effects of ADMA, a Novel Cardiovascular Risk Factor; Rainer Boger; Mar 2005
- "Shock"; L-Arginine Causes Amelioration of Cerebrovascular Dysfunction and Brain Inflammation During Experimental Heatstroke; Yen-Chia Chen, et al.; Feb 2008
- "Journal of the American College of Nutrition"; Oral Arginine Reduces Systemic Blood Pressure in Type 2 Diabetes: Its Potential Role in Nitric Oxide Generation; Nhan Huynh; Oct 2002
- MayoClinic.com; Erectile Dysfunction: Viagra and Other Oral Medications; 2010
- "Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy"; Treatment of Erectile Dysfunction with Pycnogenol and L-Arginine; R. Stanislavov; May-Jun 2003
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