Arginine

Arginine is a type of amino acid.

Arginine is used for the treatment of these conditons:

Alzheimer’s Disease:

Arginine may benefit Alzheimer’s disease by facilitating the regneration of damaged the axons (a part of each of the brain’s neurons).

In a clinical study, three months treatment with arginine improved measures of mental function by 43% in nursing home patients with probable Alzheimer’s disease.  Treatment with arginine caused patients to have “more expressive faces” and quicker mental responses.

Angina:

Arginine has been found to improve blood circulation and vasodilation (the opening/widening of blood vessels) in angina patients.  In a clinical study involving patients with stable angina, subjects receiving supplemental arginine were found to experience an increase in their ability to undertake exercise without experiencing heart muscle strain (heart pain) by almost three minutes.  They also experienced a reduction in ECG abnormalities.

Asthma:

Arginine may improve lung function in asthmatics.  Nitric oxide controls the mechanism which keeps the bronchial passages open.  Arginine increases nitric oxide production.

Blood Circulation:

Arginine improves blood circulation by stimulating the production of nitric oxide, a neurotransmitter that helps to prevent narrowing of the blood vessels(vasoconstriction).

Burns:

Clinical studies have demonstrated the ability of arginine to accelerate the healing of burns.

Cholesterol:

Arginine has been found to lower total serum cholesterol levels and LDL cholesterol (“bad” cholesterol) levels.

Hair Health:

People who become deficient in the amino acid, arginine, are more prone to hair loss.  Arginine increases the production of nitric oxide, a natural chemical known to stimulate hair growth.  In fact it is this same nitric oxide that the standard approved hair-growing drug, Rogaine (minoxidil) stimulates as part of its effectiveness in stimulating hair growth.  Why not use arginine as a less expensive and possibly, equally-as-effective form of Rogaine?

Hemorrhoids:

Arginine may help to prevent and treat hemorrhoids.  Hemorrhoids are likely to be caused by chronic contractionof the sphincter muscles.  Nitric oxide causes the sphincter muscles to relax.  Supplemental arginine increases the body’s production of nitric oxide.

Hypertension:

Arginine lowers blood pressure in some hypertension patients by facilitating the body's production of nitric oxide (a neurotransmitter that lowers blood pressure) and by inhibiting a compound that raises blood pressure named angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) - the same enzyme inhibited by one class of pharmaceutical drugs (ACE inhibitors) used for the treatment of hypertension.

Immunity:

Arginine activates various aspects of the immune system.  It stimulates the production and activity of helper T-cells, lymphocytes and natural killer cells.  Arginine also increases the size of the thymus gland and restores the production of thymic hormones to youthful levels.

Impotence:

Attainment and sustenance of an erection in men is dependent upon a chemical named nitric oxide.  Many impotent men are lacking in their production of nitric oxide.  The amino acid, arginine, stimulates the production of nitric oxide and therefore facilitates the attainment of erections in men.  In one clinical trial, 40% of men using 3,000 mg of supplemental arginine per day experienced more frequent erections.  Some experts believe that the dose of arginine used in this study was too low and that the success rate may have been higher than 40% if the dose of supplemental arginine had been higher (in the range of 6,000 - 9,000 mg per day).

In another study, 21 men aged 40 - 77 with mild to moderate impotence were given a formulation (the principal constituent being 2,800 mg of arginine) for four weeks.  18 of 21 men reported an improvement in their ability to maintain an erection during sexual intercourse and 15 reported improved satisfaction in their overall sex lives.

Infertility (male):

Arginine increases sperm count and sperm motility in infertile men.  In one study, arginine supplementation to 42 infertile men resulted in a 100% increase in sperm count soon after the commencement of arginine therapy.  Sperm motility also increased.  When arginine supplementation was ceased, sperm counts declined.  After restarting arginine therapy, sperm counts again increased.

Insulin Resistance:

In a clinical study, a single dose of 6,500 mg of arginine was found to improve insulin sensitivity (reduce insulin resistance) by an average of 20% in normal, healthy persons, diabetes mellitus type 2 patients and in persons with obesity.

Intelligence:

Arginine helps to improve long-term memory by facilitating the body’s production of nitric oxide (a neurotransmitter that is involved in the storage of long-term memory).

Intermittent Claudication:

Arginine has been found to improve blood circulation to the legs and thereby reduce the pain associated with intermittent claudication.

A clinical study using 6,000 mg of supplemental arginine per day for two weeks found that this treatment resulted in intermittent claudication patients being able to walk pain-free for 66% longer compared with patients receiving a placebo compound.

Libido (female and male):

Arginine is reported to increase libido in women and in men.  The mechanism of this effect may involve nitric oxide (via its neurotransmitter function).  Another possibility is that nitric oxide (stimulated by arginine) may enhance the ability of testosterone to stimulate sexual desire.  Some research indicates that nitric oxide (enhanced by arginine) enhances the ability of pheromones to influence sexual desire.

Liver Function:

Arginine facilitates the detoxification of the liver.  Severe arginine deficiency can cause liver malfunction.

Noise-Induced Hearing Loss:

Arginine may be useful for the treatment of noise-induced hearing loss.

Animal and laboratory studies have shown that arginine regenerates some of the damage to the cochlear of the ear that occurs during noise-induced hearing loss.

Osteoporosis:

The theory that arginine (an amino acid) may prevent and treat osteoporosis is based on its ability to stimulate the release of human growth hormone which is an important mediator of bone formation and bone turnover.  In addition, arginine stimulates the production of the neurotransmitter nitric oxide, which inhibits the resorption of bone by osteoclast bone cells.

Raynaud’s Disease:

There are several case reports indicating that oral arginine supplementation improves the symptoms of severe Raynaud’s disease.

The mechanism for arginine’s effectiveness is speculated to be through arginine increasing the production of the neurotransmitter nitric oxide.  Defects in the production/metabolism of nitric oxide are believed to occur in Raynaud’s disease patients.

Surgery Recovery:

High-dose arginine used during the period immediately after surgery helps to reduce hospital infections and accelerates the healing of surgical wounds.

In patients recovering from surgery, arginine (12.5 grams per day) improved immune function in hospitalized patients.  Benefits include improved T-cell counts, lower infection rates, and shortened hospital stays.

Ulcerative Colitis:

Arginine promotes the healing of the ulcers that occur in ulcerative colitis patients.

In an animal study using rats, supplemental arginine was found to reduce the number of ulcers in the colons of ulcerative colitis subjects by 28% and to reduce the size of the ulcers by 41%.

Weight Loss:

Arginine plays a minor role in facilitating weight loss by stimulating the release of human growth hormone.  Clinical studies have clearly demonstrated the ability of human growth hormone to stimulate weight loss, especially from around the stomach region of the body.

Wounds:

Arginine is helpful in the process of wound healing. It enhances the formation of collagen and promotes the growth of fibroblasts. Its ability to stimulate the release of human growth hormone also accelerates wound healing.

The wound healing effects of arginine have been demonstrated in numerous clinical trials.

Dosage:

1,000 - 8,000 mg per day.

Refer to the individual health concerns for more precise dosage information.

References

Alzheimer’s Disease

· Ohtsuka, Y., et al.  Effect of oral administration of L-arginine on senile dementia.  American Journal of Medicine.  108(5):439, 2000.

Angina

· Ceremuzynski, L., et al.  Effect of supplemental oral L-arginine on exercise capacity in patients with stable angina pectoris.  Am J Cardiol.  80:331-333, 1997.

Asthma

· Fried, R., et al.  The Arginine Solution.  Warner Books.  USA.  1999:165-166.

Blood Circulation

· Huk, I., et al.  L-arginine treatment alters the kinetics of nitric oxide and superoxide release and reduces ischemia/reperfusion injury in skeletal muscle.  Circulation.  96(2):667-675, 1997.

Burns

Yu, Y., et al.  Kinetics of plasma arginine and leucine in pediatric burn patients.    American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.  64(1):60-66, 1996.

Cholesterol/Triglycerides

Hurson, M., et al.  Metabolic effects of arginine in a healthy elderly population.  J Parenteral Enteral Nutr.  19:227-230, 1995.

Hair Health

· Moncada, S., et al.  Biosynthesis of nitric oxide from L-arginine.  Biochemical Pharmacology.  38(11):1709-1715, 1989.

Hemorrhoids

Fried, R., et al.  The Arginine Solution.  Warner Books.  USA.  1999:166-167.

Hypertension

Palloshi, A., et al.  Effect of oral L-arginine on blood pressure and symptoms and endothelial function in patients with systemic hypertension, positive exercise tests, and normal coronary arteries.  Am J Cardiol.  93(7):933-935, 2004.

Immunity

· Lewis, B., et al.  Arginine enhances in vivo immune responses in young, adult and aged mice.  Journal of Nutrition.  130(7):1827-1830, 2000.

Impotence

· Chen, J., et al.  Effect of oral administration of high-dose nitric oxide donor L-arginine in men with organic erectile dysfunction:  results of a double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study.  British Journal of Urology.  83:269-273, 1999.

Infertility (male)

· Tanimura, J.  Studies on arginine in human semen. Part II. The effects of medication with L-arginine-HCl on male infertility.  Bull Osaka Med School.  13:84-89, 1967.

Insulin Resistance

Wascher, T. C., et al.  Effects of low-dose L-arginine on insulin mediated vasodilation and insulin sensitivity.  Eur J Clin Invest.  27:690-695, 1997.

Intermittent Claudication

Maxwell, A. J., et al. Nutritional therapy for peripheral arterial disease: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial of HeartBar.  Vasc Med.  5(1):11-19, 2000.

Libido (women)

· Ito, t. et al.  A double-blind placebo-controlled study of ArginMax, a nutritional supplement for enhancement of female sexual function.  J Sex Marital Ther.  27(5):541-549, 2001.

Libido (men)

· Ito, T., et al.  The effects of ArginiMax, a natural dietary supplement for enhancement of male sexual function.  Hawaii Med Journal.  57(12):741-744, 1998.

Liver Support

· Nanji, A. A., et al.  Arginine reverses ethanol-induced inflammatory and fibrotic changes in liver despite continued ethanol administration.  J Pharmacol Exp Ther.  299(3):832-839, 2001.

Memory

· Plech, A., et al.  Effect of L-arginine on memory in rats.  Pol J Pharmacol.  55(6):987-992, 2003.

Noise-Induced Hearing Loss

· Lin, M. J., et al.  The effect of L-arginine on slow motility of mammalian outer hair cell.  Hear Res.  178(1-2):52-58, 2003.

Osteoporosis

Visser, J. J., et al.  Arginine supplementation in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis.  Medical Hypotheses.  43(5):339-342, 1994.

Raynaud’s Disease

Rembold, C. M., et al.  Oral L-arginine can reverse digital necrosis in Raynaud's phenomenon.  Mol Cell Biochem.  244(1-2):139-141, 2003.

Surgery Recovery

Field, C. J., et al.  Glutamine and arginine: immunonutrients for improved health.  Med Sci Sports Exerc.  32(Supplement):S377-88, 2000.

Ulcerative Colitis

· Sukumar, P., et al.  Dietary supplementation of nucleotides and arginine promotes healing of small bowel ulcers in experimental ulcerative ileitis.  Dig Dis Sci.  42(7):1530-1536, 1997.

Weight Loss/Obesity

Adriao, M., et al.  Arginine increases growth hormone gene expression in rat pituitary and GH3 cells.  Neuroendocrinology.  79(1):26-33, 2004.

Wounds

Barbul, A., et al.  Wound healing and thymotropic effects of arginine:  a pituitary mechanism of action.  American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.  37(5):786-794, 1983.

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