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| L-Arginine |
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L-arginine is an amino acid that has numerous functions in the body.
It helps the body get rid of ammonia (a waste product), is used to
make compounds in the body such creatine, L-glutamate, and L-proline,
and can be converted to glucose and glycogen if needed. L-arginine is used to make the nitric oxide, a compound in the body that relaxes blood vessels. Preliminary studies have found that L-arginine may help with conditions that improve when blood vessels are relaxed (called vasodilation), such as atherosclerosis, erectile dysfunction, and intermittent claudication. L-arginine is also involved in protein formation. In larger amounts, L-arginine stimulates the release of hormones growth hormone and prolactin. |
| Why Do People Use L-Arginine? |
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In the body, L-arginine is used to make nitric oxide, which reduces
blood vessel stiffness, increases blood flow, and improves blood
vessel function. However, L-arginine should not be used following a heart attack. An study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health examining the use of L-arginine after a heart attack was terminated early after six patients died, a disproportionate number. There were no deaths in the patients who did not receive L-arginine. The study researchers speculate that L-arginine may aggravate the effects of cardiac shock. The results were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. |
| Erectile Dysfunction |
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L-arginine has been used for erectile dysfunction. Like the drug
sildenafil citrate (Viagra), L-arginine is thought to enhance the
action of nitric oxide, which relaxes muscles surrounding blood
vessels supplying the penis. As a result, blood vessels in the penis
dilate, increasing blood flow, which helps 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. In one study, 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 had an improvement compared to those taking the placebo. Unlike Viagra, L-arginine must be taken daily. |
| Wound Healing |
| L-arginine's possible activity in wound repair may be due to its role in the formation of L-proline, an important amino acid that is essential for the synthesis of collagen. |
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