~NCU~ great info. & warnings - Arginine Aspartate

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Arginine Aspartate

Below:

• Introduction

• Requirements/Sources

• Therapeutic Dosages

• Therapeutic Uses

• What Is the Scientific Evidence for Arginine?

• Safety Issues

• Interactions You Should Know About

• References

Introduction

Arginine is an amino acid found in many foods, including dairy products, meat, poultry, and fish. It plays a role in several important mechanisms in the body, including cell division, the healing of wounds, the removal of ammonia from the body, immune function, and the secretion of important hormones.

The body also uses arginine to make nitric oxide, which relaxes the blood vessels. Based on this, arginine has been proposed as a treatment for various heart conditions, including congestive heart failure, and for impotence, which may be caused by limited blood flow. For reasons that are not at all clear, regular use of arginine may also be able to help reduce the frequency of colds.

Requirements/Sources

Normally, the body either gets enough arginine from food, or manufactures all it needs from other widely available nutrients. Certain stresses, such as severe burns, infections, and injuries, can deplete your bodys supply of arginine.

Arginine is found in dairy products, meat, poultry, fish, nuts, and chocolate.

Therapeutic Dosages

A typical supplemental dosage of arginine is 2 to 3 g per day. For congestive heart failure, dosages as high as 30 g per day have been tried.

Warning: Do not try to self-treat congestive heart failure. If you have this condition, be sure to consult your physician before taking any supplements.

Therapeutic Uses

One preliminary double-blind study suggests that arginine supplementation might help prevent colds.1

Other preliminary studies suggest that arginine may relieve some of the symptoms of intermittent claudication2 and congestive heart failure.3,4 The supplement coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10 ), however, has far better evidence as a treatment for the latter condition.

Preliminary evidence suggests that arginine may improve sperm function and thereby help treat male infertility, but not all studies have found benefit.5–10

Arginine has recently become popular as a male aphrodisiac and a cure for impotence, but there is little to no evidence that it works.

What Is the Scientific Evidence for Arginine?

Colds

A double-blind study involving 41 children concluded that arginine seemed to provide some protection against respiratory infections.11 In this study, 20 children were given arginine and 20 received placebo for 60 days of the study. Of the children who received placebo, 15 developed minor respiratory infections (colds) during the 60 days of the study. By contrast, only 5 of the children taking arginine developed colds, a significant difference.

Intermittent Claudication

People with advanced hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis, often have difficulty walking due to lack of blood flow to the legs, a condition known as intermittent claudication. Pain may develop after walking less than half a block. Food bars containing arginine have been found to improve walking distance. After 2 weeks of two food bars daily, study participants could walk 66% farther.12

Safety Issues

Arginine is an amino acid found naturally in our bodies and our food, and for this reason is believed to be quite safe. However, maximum safe dosages are not known for young children, pregnant or nursing women, or those with severe liver or kidney disease.

Keep in mind that the recommended dosage of arginine is so high that even low percentage levels of a contaminant might cause problems. Therefore, be sure to purchase a high-quality product.

Interactions You Should Know About

If you are taking lysine to treat herpes, arginine might counteract any potential benefit.

References

1. Baligan M, Giardina A, Giovannini G, et al. L-arginina e immunita. Studio in soggetti pediatrici. Minerva Pediatr 49: 537–542, 1997.

2. Maxwell A. Annual meeting of American College of Cardiology, 1999.

3. Rector TS, et al. Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of supplemental oral L-arginine in patients with heart failure. Circulation 93: 2135–2141, 1996.

4. Koifman B, et al. Improvement of cardiac performance by intravenous infusion of L-arginine in patients with moderate congestive heart failure. J Am Coll Cardiol 26: 1251–1256, 1995.

5. de Aloysio D, Mantuano R, Mauloni M, and tti G. The clinical use of arginine aspartate in male infertility. Acta Eur Fertil 13: 133–167, 1982.

6. 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.

7. Schacter A, Goldman JA, and Zukerman Z. Treatment of oligospermia with the amino acid arginine. J Urol 110: 311–313, 1973.

8. Schacter A, et al. Treatment of oligospermia with the amino acid arginine. Int J Gynaecol Obstet 11: 206–209, 1973.

9. Mroueh A. Effect of arginine on oligospermia. Fertil Steril 21: 217–219, 1970.

10. Pryor JP, Blandy JP, P, Chaput de Saintonge DM, and Usherwood M. Controlled clinical trial of arginine for infertile men with oligozoospermia. Brit J Urol 50: 47–50, 1978.

11. Baligan M, Giardina A, Giovannini G, et al. L-arginina e immunita. Studio in soggetti pediatrici. Minerva Pediatr 49: 537–542, 1997.

12. Maxwell A. Annual meeting of American College of Cardiology. 1999.

First published May 12, 2000