Arginine

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Arginine

Alternate Names & Forms: Arginine hydrochloride, L-arginine

 

Arginine is an amino acid that plays a role in cell division, healing of wounds,

removing ammonia from the body, improving immunity to illness, and hormone

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Arginine is used by the body to make nitric oxide, a substance that relaxes

blood vessels. For this reason, it has been used to treat cardiovascular

disorders such as heart failure, intermittent claudication, impotence, female

sexual dysfunction, and interstitial cystitis.

 

Severe burns, infections, and injuries can deplete the body’s supply of

arginine. It is used in hospitals as an immune cocktail to speed recovery from

severe illness.

 

Sources

The amino acid arginine is found in many foods, such as dairy products, meat,

poultry, fish, nuts, and chocolate. Under normal conditions, the body gets

enough arginine from food sources or makes it from other widely available

nutrients.

 

Dosage

A typical dosage of arginine is 2 to 3 g of arginine per day. In clinical

trials, it is used in dosages of 5 to 15 g for congestive heart failure.

 

Therapeutic Uses

Arginine can be used to help treat conditions that can benefit from its effect

on nitric oxide:

 

 

congestive heart failure

 

impotence

 

sexual dysfunction in women

 

intermittent claudication

 

interstitial cystitis

 

 

 

Arginine can also be used to prevent colds, help asthma, kidney failure, and

recovery from illness and injury.

 

Side effects

When taking arginine up to moderate doses of 2 to 3 g per day, arginine appears

to be free of side effects, however, minor digestive disturbances can occur.

 

Higher doses of arginine can increase stomach acid. This can harm people with

heartburn, ulcers, or who are already taking drugs that are hard on the stomach.

Arginine increases stomach acid by stimulating production of gastrin, a hormone

that increases stomach acid.

 

Arginine may also alter potassium levels, especially in people with liver

disease. People with kidney disease and those who take ACE inhibitors or

potassium sparing diuretics should not use supplemental arginine unless they are

under professional supervision.

 

Pregnant and nursing women and children should not use supplemental arginine, as

it’s safety has not been established.

 

Drug Interactions

Arginine interacts with the following drugs: Lysine – arginine may counteract

the benefits of lysine to treat herpes; NSAIDS (non-steroidal

anti-inflammatories) or other drugs that are hard on the stomach; drugs that

alter potassium levels in the body, such as ACE inhibitors and potassium sparing

diuretics.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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