What is L-Arginine?
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?
Heart disease -
In the body, L-arginine is used to make nitric oxide, which reduces blood vessel stiffness, increases blood flow, and improves blood vessel function.
The amino acid called L-arginine, which is one of the twenty-two protein “building blocks”, derives its name from the Greek word for “bright”.
Although the body can naturally produce some of this amino acid, we also receive significant amounts of L-arginine from our diets, averaging about 5 grams a day. As we get older, it appears that our need for arginine may increase beyond this amount. Larger amounts of it help retain a healthy immune system in both animals and people. It also appears to help men maintain and sustain sperm production and motility as well.
While these effects are significant, it is the role that this amino acid plays in the production of a simple compound called nitric oxide (NO) that is most important. This was one of the most exciting health discoveries made in the last decade of the twentieth century.
The 1990's saw an explosion of revolutionary discoveries about the critical functions of NO (known as endothelium derived relaxing factor or EDRF in the 1970's and 80's) in an astonishing array of bodily systems. Three American scientists were awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1998 for leading the way in NO research.
“ADNO” Plays Many Roles
L- arginine plays a specific role in the body as fuel for the production of NO, sometimes referred to as ADNO for “arginine derived nitric oxide.” Numerous clinical studies have now confirmed that supplementing the diet with L arginine, as contained in Circulation Formula, leads to healthy levels of NO in the body. Below is a partial list of the many functions supported by ADNO:
 | It relaxes the arteries, including the coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart, helping to maintain healthy blood pressure and blood flow. |
| It has potent antioxidant activity and is a free radical scavenger that helps to maintain cholesterol levels that are already within normal range. It protects cholesterol from free radical attack and oxidation. |
| It helps maintain a healthy immune system function of many immune system cells, such as macrophages, lymphocytes, and neutrophils (L arginine also appears to support healthy immune function independently from its role in producing ADNO). |
| It assists in transporting oxygen by hemoglobin in the red blood cells and removing carbon dioxide waste from the body.◊ |
| It is used by the brain to encode long-term memory and enhances healthy blood flow to areas of the brain as they become active and require more energy. |
| It relaxes the muscles surrounding airways of the lungs, thereby helping to maintain healthy lung function. |
| It supports the pancreas in maintaining adequate insulin secretion that are already in the normal range. |
| It helps maintain the release of human growth hormones (HGH) from the pituitary, which enables the body to better retain ample muscle mass and bone density and keep body fat at the proper level. |
| It assists in promoting healthy blood flow to the sexual organs in both men and women, which is necessary for youthful sexual function and enjoyment. |
A healthy circulatory system is critical for overall health. It is the “supply line” that delivers oxygen and nutrients to our cells and the disposal system for all cellular waste.
