Description

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L-Arginine – is a crystalline, free-form amino acid.

It is an important factor in muscle metabolism and works to transport, store and excrete nitrogen.  Technically, arginine is a non-essential amino acid. Your body does, in fact, do a good job of manufacturing it on its own.

However, there are certain instances – specifically during trauma or illness
– when your body may not be able to keep up with demand.

Among performance athletes, bodybuilders and advanced fitness enthusiasts, L-Arginine has gained popularity as a supplement that can give those looking to build lean muscle mass an advantage due to its role in the body’s own production of human growth hormone and creatine.

L-Arginine is required for the body to synthesize nitric oxide, a compound that helps keep blood vessels dilated to promote healthy blood flow for overall cardiovascular maintanence.
L-Arginine and Nitric Oxide

One of L-Arginine’s biggest benefits may lies in its role as a precursor to nitric oxide. Nitric oxide functions as a vasodilator, essentially “opening up” veins and arteries, making it easier for blood (and all the oxygen and nutrients it carries) to flow freely through your body.

From a broad perspective, this is huge. Just think of all the health problems related to the narrowing of blood vessels, including heart disease, headaches, erectile dysfunction (ED) – all of which benefit from increases in blood flow.

L-Arginine Benefits and Exercise Performance

It makes logical sense, then, that L-Arginine supplementation might also improve exercise performance.

The efficient flow of blood to working muscles during exercise is essential to performance, so conceptually, a supplement that stimulates vasodilation should be able to boost the delivery of nutrients to muscles while buffering away waste products.

There is, in fact, some evidence that this is the case, particularly in individuals who may have experienced narrowing of the veins and arteries. Unfortunately, research regarding the benefits of L-Arginine on exercise performance are mixed and inconclusive.

You can increase your intake of L-Arginine through your diet by consuming high-quality proteins rich in the amino acid. Foods including cage-free eggs, grass-fed beef, wild salmon, nuts and seeds are all good sources of L-Arginine.