Arginine May Help Cardiovascular Disease
Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.
There are plenty of powerful new drugs to help prevent and treat chronic health problems. But we also know that certain nutrients may provide even better benefits. Arginine, for example has received a tremendous amount of attention lately for its potential heart benefits. This is extremely important because about 80 million Americans have some form of cardiovascular disease.
L-arginine was first isolated in 1886, reportedly from the extract of a lupine seedling.
Arginine is a chemical precursor to nitric oxide (a blood vessel-widening agent called a vasodilator). Early evidence suggests that arginine may help treat medical conditions that improve with increased vasodilation. These conditions include chest pain, atherosclerosis (clogged arteries), heart disease or failure, erectile dysfunction, intermittent claudication/peripheral vascular disease, and vascular headaches (headache-inducing blood vessel swelling).
Arginine also triggers the body to make protein and has been studied for healing wounds, bodybuilding, enhancing sperm production, and preventing tissue wasting in people with critical illnesses.
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Why Do We Need Arginine?
Arginine, also known as L-arginine, enhances a number of different body functions. These include wound healing, helping the kidneys remove waste products from the body and maintaining immune and hormone function
Since Arginine is a natural dietary supplement, it has received particular attention for its possible heart benefits.
What Are Arginine’s Heart Benefits?
The amino acid arginine changes into nitric oxide (NO) in the body. Nitric oxide is a powerful neurotransmitter that helps blood vessels relax and also improves circulation.
There is evidence that arginine may help improve blood flow in the arteries of the heart. This increased blood flow may improve symptoms of clogged arteries, chest pain or angina, and coronary artery disease.
Since arginine may help arteries relax and improve blood flow, it may also help with erectile dysfunction. In a 1999 study published in the journal BJU International 50 men with erectile dysfunction took either 5 grams of L-arginine per day or a placebo. After six weeks, more men in the L-arginine group showed improvement compared to those taking the placebo.
Like the drug sildenafil citrate (Viagra), L-arginine is thought to enhance the action of nitric oxide and—in turn—relax the muscles surrounding blood vessels supplying the penis. As a result, blood vessels in the penis dilate, increasing blood flow, which may help maintain an erection. The difference in how they work is that Viagra blocks an enzyme called PDE5, which destroys nitric oxide, and L-arginine is used to make nitric oxide. Unlike Viagra, L-arginine is taken on a daily basis for erectile dysfunction.
There are other potential health benefits with arginine, such as possible reduction of blood pressure in some people and improved walking distance in patients with intermittent leg cramping and weakness known as intermittent claudication. However, the scientific studies are not conclusive enough for experts to make any firm recommendations.
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References
Blum A, Porat R, Rosenschein U, Keren G, Roth A, Laniado S, Miller H. "Clinical and inflammatory effects of dietary L-arginine in patients with intractable angina pectoris." Am J Cardiol. 1999 May 15;83(10):1488-90, A8.
Bocchi EA, Vilella de Moraes AV, Esteves-Filho A, Bacal F, Auler JO, Carmona MJ, Bellotti G, Ramires AF. "L-arginine reduces heart rate and improves hemodynamics in severe congestive heart failure." Clin Cardiol. 2000 Mar;23(3):205-10.
Chen J, Wollman Y, Chernichovsky T, Iaina A, Sofer M, Matzkin H. "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." BJU Int. 1999 Feb;83(3):269-73.
Maxwell AJ, Zapien MP, Pearce GL, MacCallum G, Stone PH. "Randomized trial of a medical food for the dietary management of chronic, stable angina." J Am Coll Cardiol. 2002 Jan 2;39(1):37-45.
National Institutes of Health. "L-arginine: MedlinePlus Supplements". November 2010.
Schulman SP et al. "L-arginine therapy in acute myocardial infarction: the Vascular Interaction With Age in Myocardial Infarction (VINTAGE MI) randomized clinical trial". JAMA. 295.1 (2006):58-64.