Arginine Foods: General Benefits
Arginine was first isolated in 1886. Scientists discovered in 1932 that arginine is needed to toxic ammonia from the body, through the creation of the waste product urea. Later, in 1939, researchers found arginine is also a requirement in making creatine in the body.
Arginine is a semi-essential amino acid; though the body generates sufficient quantities of creatine, supplementation is sometimes needed. As an example, people with protein malnutrition, excessive ammonia production, excessive lysine intake, burns, infections, peritoneal dialysis, rapid growth, urea synthesis disorders, or sepsis may have insufficient natural supplies of arginine. Arginine deficiency symptoms include poor wound healing, hair loss, skin rash, constipation, and fatty liver.
Arginine transforms into nitric oxide in the body, which causes vasodilation, or blood vessel relaxation. Arginine may also help treat medical conditions that improve with vasodilation, such as chest pain, clogged arteries (called atherosclerosis), coronary artery disease, erectile dysfunction, heart failure, intermittent claudication/peripheral vascular disease, and blood vessel swelling that causes headaches (vascular headaches). Arginine triggers the body to make protein and has been studied for wound healing, bodybuilding, enhancement of sperm production (spermatogenesis), and prevention of wasting in people with critical illnesses.
In general, most people do not need to take arginine supplements because the body usually produces enough.
Source: mayoclinic.com
