What is Arginine? What is L-Arginine?

Food Items Containing Arginine

There are plenty of food items containing chemically bound L-Arginine in different percentages. Nuts in particular are important suppliers of Arginine. Chicken breast fillet, chicken egg, pork, and salmon, for example, also contain arginine though.

Food items containing the highest percentage of bound Arginine:

• pumpkin seeds
• pine nuts
• walnuts
• roasted peanuts
• dried peas
• paddy

Effects of Arginine and L-Arginine

Arginine fulfills numerous important tasks in the human body. Of all proteinogenic amino acids it has the highest nitrogen percentage by mass. What is more, L-Arginine is the only preliminary stage of nitrogen monoxide, one of the tiniest messenger substances in the organism. Nitrogen monoxide ensures the vessels remain dilated and supple – and thus allows for a massive muscle pump. That enhances, among other things, blood circulation as well as oxygen supply. Studies have shown that via this vascular dilation arginine can even lead to a reduction in hypertension. Some further effects, while not definitely proven by science yet, are tried, tested, and highly appreciated by sportspeople. L-Arginine is said to have a performance-enhancing effect – especially in intensive training phases. Arginine also has the ability to get rid of ammonia, the toxic by-product originating from the breakdown of proteins, by converting it into urea. Furthermore arginine has a positive effect on the immune system, wound healing, and the release of growth hormones.

You will learn more about the advantages of arginine for athletes when it comes to muscle building, fat reduction, and during diets further below.

Side effects of L-Arginine

Lowering the blood pressure can lead to problems such as headaches and dizziness for people with an already low blood pressure because it may drop further. Other than that, hardly any side effects at all are known regarding arginine supplements when dosed correctly. Since the body inevitably needs the semi-essential amino acid there is basically nothing getting in the way of taking in L-arginine.

If you are taking prescription drugs (in particular Viagra or other PDE5 inhibitors), please consult your doctor regarding any possible interactions. If you are suffering from an acute herpes infection (e.g. lip herpes or shingles), you should renounce arginine because herpes appears to require it to reproduce. Because the effects on pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers are not sufficiently researched, we recommend not to take L-Arginine in these cases either.

Dosing Arginine: how to correctly ingest L-Arginine

Oftentimes the stomach first needs to be accustomed to ingesting food supplements containing arginine. We therefore recommend you to slowly increase the daily dosage of L-Arginine and in the beginning to take one half each in the morning and in the evening. The respective correct dosage of Arginine is best to be learned from the manufacturer’s notification of the respective product. Most athletes feel the positive effect of arginine starting from about 2 to 3 grams (0.1 oz.) per day and like to take in arginine 30 to 45 minutes before workout. No more than 15 grams (0.5 oz.) of arginine should be taken at any day though since, among other things, that can lead to sleep disturbances, stomach aches, diarrhea, and nausea

Weight Loss and fat loss with L-Arginine

Studies have shown that the daily dosage of L-Arginine in combination with effective weight training can result in a considerable reduction of body fat after about five weeks. Because apart from enhancing the development of muscles, L-Arginine contributes to fat reduction by fostering the breakdown of lipids. Thus you can also use L-arginine during a diet with great effect.

Arginine muscle build-up: Pump Supplement

The amino acid L-Arginine has a vasodilative effect and fosters tissue formation. The muscle cells benefit from a better oxygen supply. Therefore many bodybuilders, endurance athletes, martial arts enthusiasts, and fitness sportspoeple also like using arginine as a so-called Pre Workout Booster. Taking in arginine is said to boost performance by 20%. For this reason, many refer to the amino acid also as Pump Supplement.

Arginine fosters the release of growth hormones (prolactin and glucagon), muscle development, as well as fat loss. That is why arginine is particularly popular in bodybuilding. Thanks to the vasodilative effect, the veins emerge strongly. Furthermore arginine takes part in the biosynthesis of creatine. Creatine most notably plays a key role in supplying the muscles with energy.

Arginine-base or Arginine-HCL

The difference between L-Arginine/Arginine base and Arginine HCL (short for hydrochloride) lies mostly in purity and pH value.

L-Arginine or Arginine-base refers to the actual amino acid. The purity lies between 98 and 100 percent, the pH value ranges from 10.5 to 12 according to international standards and thus is in the basic range and easily digestible. On top of that, the organism can absorb the L-arginine better. If you buy arginine-base, it usually is produced via a fermentation in which bacteria and enzymes convert vegetable substances such as barley or wheat.

Arginine-Hydrochloride/Arginine HCL consists of arginine bound in the salt of a hydrochloric acid (HCL = Hydrochloride). The purity lies between 70 and 80 percent. The advantage of arginine HCL is its solubility in water and rather neutral of a taste. Having a pH value of between 6 and 6.5 it lies, however, in the acid range and thus is less easily digestible. Arginine HCL cannot be recommended to vegetarians and vegans since it usually is recovered from animal products – often duck feathers.

Buy Arginine

The semi-essential amino acid L-Arginine, often referred to simply as Arginine, fulfills many important functions and tasks in the human organism. Even if a certain amount is taken in through a balanced diet including meat, pulses, and nuts, in some situations – in particular when training hard – it is advisable to take Arginine supplements accordingly.

Before you buy arginine, you should however spend some thought on whether you would like to rely on the pure amino acid arginine or on Arginine HCL. Apart from that your financial capacity and, most of all, your personal training goals are crucial for deciding which arginine supplement you should order. Quality should always have priority though, you want to treat your body after all and support it in training.

Arginine can be bought as a powder, capsules, tablets, or pills. Even creams and band-aids are available if, for example, you do not want to take tablets but do not want to do without an enhanced blood circulation either.

If you want to use the positive effects of L-Arginine, you may take in the amino acids separately – or, better still, in combination with other amino acids and vitamins. L-Arginine is the counterpart for L-lysine, which is why you should balance both of these. A combined intake of L-Arginine and BCAAs is particularly popular for developing muscles.

We will gladly assist you in figuring out which arginine supplement is right for you and whether and, if so, which combination comes into question for you