Previous research has found that the nonessential amino acid, arginine, may lower cholesterol and blood pressure. Now, research indicates that supplementation with arginine may also reduce the risk of heart disease.
The randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover study, published in the Journal of Nutrition (2005, vol. 135, no. 2), found that arginine supplementation reduced levels of homocysteine (a metabolite that can damage blood vessels and a cardiac risk marker). Researchers at the Department of Biobehavioral Health at Pennsylvania State University administered 12 grams of supplemental arginine daily to 16 middle-aged men with hypercholesterolemia, for 3 weeks. After each treatment, the blood variables of the participants at rest and during two stress tests were measured.
At the end of the study, researchers found that high levels of arginine were associated with a decrease in homocysteine levels. Findings also revealed that arginine supplementation produced a modest decrease in blood pressure. "This study is the first to describe a hemodynamic mechanism for the hypotensive effect of oral L-arginine and the first to show substantial reductions in homocysteine with oral administration," the study authors conclude.
REFERENCES:
1.West SG, Likos-Krick A, Brown P, Mariotti F. Oral L-arginine improves hemodynamic responses to stress and reduces plasma homocysteine in hypercholesterolemic men. J Nutr. 2005 Feb;135(2):212-7.
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